Reviews

98 points. Deep, purple-tinted syrah with a wonderfully fine-grained, perfectly-pitched texture. Flavours include cassis, plum, dark berries, anise, black pepper, floral and red rose together with spicy oak. A very impressive wine

Very deep, bold, bright purple/red colour, the aromas similarly impressive for their concentration and vibrancy. The wine is super-concentrated and loaded with drying, savoury tannins that add a smidgin of bitterness that helps cleanse the aftertaste, which is formidably long. A sensational cabernet blend, gorgeously flavoured and perfumed, profound and lingering. It has the intensity and structure to age long-term. The patient will be handsomely rewarded.

The start of a new decade in Hawke’s Bay brings momentous promise this vintage … With a hot and dry season, the entire region basked in optimum sunshine hours this summer, from the inland alluvial plains all the way to the coast, blessing Hawke’s Bay’s winemakers with pristine-condition fruit.

‘BayBuzz asked Nick Buck, chief executive of Te Mata Estate, a perennial producer of some of HB’s best, what all the fuss is about.’

Says Nick: “’18, ’19, and ’20 have been amazing. We thought ’19 was amongst the best vintages we’ve seen, then along came ’20, and we’re blown away by the quality. The ‘20s are the most concentrated wines we’ve seen in the 46 years my family’s run Te Mata. It’s hard to pick a stand out variety as the quality is so strong across the board.”

Locally, online sales have held up for Te Mata Estate during the Covid window. “Te Mata always has strong direct sales as a lot of people prefer to deal directly for their fine wines. But, we’ve seen a huge upswing over the lockdown period. It’s been fantastic to see all the local support, and we’ve been thrilled to be able respond to that, getting great wine direct to people’s homes and businesses. My brother Toby’s doing a lot of the Hawke’s Bay deliveries and enjoying the chance to help people out.”

Te Mata Estate has always done well overseas, especially in Australia, the UK and China, and we asked about that. Nick commented:

“The quality from the spectacular run of great vintages — ’18, ’19 and now ’20 — means that we’ve got the best wines we’ve ever made to take to market. NZ wine exports have remained very strong through lockdown, but we’re seeing marked buying shifts with booming retail alongside very suppressed hospitality. It’s impossible to say how deep and long these effects will be.”

‘Te Mata Estate’s Coleraine is a New Zealand national treasure. Since its first vintage in 1982, Coleraine has been a benchmark for Cabernet-centric reds made in New Zealand, with a remarkable track record for high quality and age-worthiness. Consistency of quality and style – silky textures, savory-and-sweet fruit balance, and lively acidity – have been the hallmarks since day one.

Te Mata Coleraine is an ever-evolving wine, as its vineyards mature and small refinements are made to winemaking. Phil Brodie and the Buck family are tasked with keeping this legendary New Zealand wine estate on track and there is no reason that they won’t.’