Latest Reviews

The 2021 Coleraine is a superstar… If you are a newcomer to this wine, might I politely suggest you get a wriggle on and get some. It has long been one of the handful of wines that I purchase each year, regardless of vintage conditions, and the trio of 2019, 2020 and 2021 is an outstanding trifecta of balance and complexity. The wine ages prodigiously and gracefully, and the mastering of tannins here is a thing to behold. Pliable, ductile texture and fresh fruit is the calling card of this wine from this estate. It is emphatically, enthusiastically recommended. It’s the best I recall seeing on release in recent years, a total ‘pleasure-dome’ situation….The persistence of flavour here is extraordinary; it’s detailed and nuanced but insistent in the mouth.

A superstar.

Coleraine ’21, 98 Points

Pete Cowley was one of the greats who should be included in the pantheon of ‘wonderful people who made top shelf wine’, and his baton was handed over to Phil Brodie a few years ago, who’s kind of cut from the same cloth. I know we judge what’s in the glass, and that’s what matters, but still, it’s kind of nice when the people who
put the wine into your glass are exceptional humans who combine talent with humility. If only I could say the same for myself! 88% sauvignon blanc, 7% sauvignon gris and 5% semillon.

Cape gooseberry, guava, cream, spice, cut grass and snow pea. Medium-bodied, grapefruit segments, a little thistle and spice, glossy with a firm cut of juicy acidity and subtle flinty texture, aniseed and perfume, pineapple and creamed rice richness, with a pithy finish of excellent length. It has bite, zest and tang, glide and viscosity, and well, it’s Cape Crest writ large. Drink: 2023-2031+.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’22, 94 Points

One of New Zealand’s true icons, not just for Syrah but for wine in general. Grown in the iron-rich soils of the Bridge Pa Triangle, Te Mata’s Bullnose vineyard, is a 15-hectare site planted in 1990 and it’s home to former winemaker Peter Cowley and his family. 2020 was an incredible year for Syrah in Hawke’s Bay and the Bullnose has an elegant lift of blueberry, soft pepper, clay dust and violets on the nose, while on the palate it has silky, gently savoury, bay and blueberry layers and finely tuned tannins which lead to a long, stylish finish.

Bullnose Syrah ’20, ★★★★★

Very impressive Coleraine, possibly the best I have yet tasted. Quite Bordeaux-like with impressive density and complexity. Richly textured wine that is obviously youthful but easy to appreciate. Cassis, dark chocolate, vanilla, liquorice, mixed spice and anise are some of the more obvious flavours. Destined to become a classic.

Coleraine ’21, 98 Points ★★★★★

The lieutenant to Coleraine can move closer to its iconic big brother in a favourable vintage like 2021, making it even better value. An elegant blend more in the style of Right Bank Bordeaux than the beefier Left Bank. Can be enjoyed now but should develop well with some bottle age.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, 93 Points ★★★★

An almost inky red with impressive density that’s underpinned with vibrant acidity that gives the wine energy. Slightly closed and youthful, it will respond well to careful bottle age.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 95 Points ★★★★★

Silken, seamless pinot noir with bright cherry, plum, mixed spice, violet and a suggestion of mineral/oyster shell. Attractively scented wine hints at the underlying power and cellaring potential.

Alma Pinot Noir ’21, 94 Points ★★★★

This includes some Gimblett Gravel fruit, which gives black and white-pepper, iodine, lead-pencil, and black-fruit aromas and flavors. Tar and asphalt, too. Full-bodied and tied in with a lovely structure and focus. Linear and very racy. Terrific integration and structure. Drinkable now, but better in two or three years.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 96 Points

The 2021 Coleraine exhibits a commanding presence and majestic poise. The bouquet reveals classic aromas of cassis, dark plum and violet with whispering nuances of cedar and cigar. There are hints of warm spices, compounding the pleasure upon inhalation. The palate is bold and graceful at once, enhanced by plush texture and multi-layered mouthfeel, beautifully framed by refreshing acidity and fine chalky tannins. Robust and substantial with a great line and length, which seem to go on to infinity. This youthful wine is already impossible to resist, but time will reward those who can wait.

In sports, they often talk about ‘The Greatest of All Time’, or ‘The GOAT’. This 2021 Coleraine is undeniably THE GOAT of New Zealand wine.

Coleraine ’21, 100 Points ★★★★★

Offering harmony and structure within an opulent frame of rich fruit and silky tannins, this is a gratifying red offering awesome value. The enticing bouquet shows blackcurrant, mulberry, tobacco and cedary oak characters with a delicate floral overtone. The palate displays amazing depth and persistency, wonderfully complemented by delectable fruit flavours with spicy nuances. Tannins are fine, mouth-coating and just right, making it structured and seamless at the same time.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, 97 Points ★★★★★

Expressing precision and purity, combined with brooding strength and complexity, this is spectacular and breath-taking. Immediately appealing with dark plum, sweet cherry, graphite, olive, spicy oak and floral aromas, it’s succulent and fleshy in the mouth delivering layers of seductive flavours backed by beautifully infused tannins. It’s mouthfilling and velvety with a prolonged engaging finish.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 99 Points ★★★★★

Pristine fruit notes of dark plum and sweet cherry lead the way with notes of floral, thyme, nutmeg, and mushroom, it’s finely flowing in the mouth delivering plump mouthfeel backed by refreshing acidity and polished tannins. Exquisite and elegant, yet with power and opulence, this should evolve magnificently.

Alma Pinot Noir, 96 Points ★★★★★

A gorgeously composed chardonnay with a great degree of elegance, showing nectarine, rock melon, lemon peel, oatmeal, and roasted hazelnut characters on the nose, followed by a superbly structured palate that’s laced with ripe fruit intensity and stylish oak infusion. Bright acidity provides balance and frame, while richly textured mouthfeel leads to a persistent sensual finish.

Elston Chardonnay ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Combining stunning fruit purity with elegant complexity, the wine shows crunchy apple, fig, kaffir lime and white floral aromas with a hint of savoury pastry. The palate displays excellent focus and drive, wonderfully complemented by fine texture and perfectly pitched acidity, finishing superbly long and vibrant.

Cape Crest ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Breed, rather than brute power, is the hallmark of Coleraine (correctly pronounced Cole-raine rather than Coler-aine), which since its first vintage in 1982 has carved out an illustrious reputation among New Zealand’s claret-style reds. In all vintages since 2007, Cabernet Sauvignon has been the predominant variety. At its best, it is a magical Hawke’s Bay wine, with a depth, complexity and subtlety on the level of a top-class Bordeaux. The grapes are grown and hand-picked in the Havelock North hills, in the company’s warm, north-facing Buck and 1892 vineyards, and the wine is matured for 16 to 20 months in French oak barriques, predominantly new. The very elegant, beautifully poised 2021 vintage (5) is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (56 per cent), Merlot (32 per cent) and Cabernet Franc (12 per cent). Highly refined, it is deeply coloured and mouthfilling, with fresh, notably concentrated blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, hints of herbs and nuts, lovely complexity and a lasting finish. Best drinking 2026+.

Coleraine ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

Positioned below its Coleraine stablemate in Te Mata’s hierarchy of Hawke’s Bay, claretstyle reds, Awatea is grown at Havelock North and in the Bullnose Vineyard, inland from Hastings. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, it is hand-harvested and matured for 15 to 18 months in French oak barriques (partly new). Compared to Coleraine, in its youth Awatea is more seductive, more perfumed, and tastes more of sweet, ripe fruit, but it is more forward and slightly less concentrated. The wine can mature gracefully for many years, but is also typically delicious in its youth. The 2021 vintage (5★) is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50 per cent), Merlot (36 per cent) and Cabernet Franc (14 per cent). Dark and purple-flushed, it is mouthfilling, with deep blackcurrant, berry and spice flavours, complex and savoury, finely tuned tannins and a very harmonious finish. An elegant, rich, distinctive red, it offers great value and should be at its best 2026+.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

This consistently classy red is estate-grown and hand-picked in the Bullnose and Isosceles vineyards, in the Bridge Pa Triangle, and the Hotspur vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels. Matured for 16 months in French oak barriques (partly new), the dark, dense 2021 vintage (5★) is still very youthful. Deeply coloured, with a fragrant, spicy bouquet, it is mouthfilling, with concentrated, vigorous blackcurrant, plum, spice and nut flavours, highly refined tannins and a harmonious, savoury, lasting finish. Best drinking 2026+.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

Since its debut from the 2018 vintage, Alma has emerged as the Hawke’s Bay region’s finest Pinot Noir. Estate-grown inland, at the Woodthorpe Terraces Vineyard in the Dartmoor Valley, the 2021 vintage (5★) was matured for 10 months in French oak barriques, new and seasoned. Deep, bright ruby, it is fragrant and full-bodied, with concentrated cherry, plum and spice flavours, complex and savoury, supple tannins and a rich, lingering finish. Still very youthful, it’s well worth cellaring to 2025+.

Alma Pinot Noir ’21, ★★★★★, Hawke’s Bay region’s finest Pinot Noir

One of New Zealand’s most illustrious Chardonnays, Elston is a stylish, intense, slowly evolving wine. At around four years old, it is notably complete, showing concentration and finesse. The grapes are hand-harvested from mature vines grown in hillside vineyards above the winery at Havelock North, and the wine is fully fermented and matured for nearly a year in French oak barriques (partly new). Bright, light yellow/green, the 2021 vintage (5★) is already very expressive. Richly fragrant, it is full-bodied, with concentrated stonefruit flavours, excellent complexity, good acid spine and a savoury, long, very harmonious finish. Best drinking 2024+.

Elston Chardonnay ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

This oak-aged Hawke’s Bay label is impressive for its ripely herbal, complex, sustained flavours. Most of the grapes are hand-picked in the company’s relatively warm Bullnose Vineyard, inland from Hastings (the rest is grown at Woodthorpe, in the Dartmoor Valley), and the blend includes small proportions of Sémillon (to add longevity) and Sauvignon Gris (which contributes weight and mouthfeel). The wine is fully fermented and lees-aged for eight to eleven months in French oak barriques (partly new). Bright, light lemon/green, the 2021 vintage (5★) is a richly fragrant, mouthfilling wine, with concentrated, ripe, tropical fruit flavours, finely integrated oak adding complexity, and a very harmonious, long finish. A distinctive, delicious wine, drinking well now, it should be at its best 2024+.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’21, ★★★★★, Super Classic

This highly attractive red is a blend of Merlot (49%), Cabernet Sauvignon (43%) and Cabernet Franc (8%). Estate-grown in the Havelock Hills, the Bridge Pa Triangle, the Gimblett Gravels and the Dartmoor Valley, it was matured for a year in French oak barrels (partly new). Deeply coloured, it is fragrant, fresh and full-bodied, with very generous blackcurrant, plum, herb and spice flavours, gently seasoned with oak, and excellent vigour, structure and depth. Still very youthful, it should be at its best 2025+.

Merlot Cabernet ’21, Best Buy

The Te Mata Hawke’s Bay Coleraine 2021 is a terrific young wine with superb depth and complexity as well as just the right amount of muscular tannins to give length and structure for the long term. Yet the polished texture makes it so attractive now. Is it one of the best Coleraines ever?

Redcurrant and creme de cassis aromas. Roses. So aromatic. Stones. Oyster and mussel shell. Ink pot. Lead pencil shavings. Full-bodied but very tight and focused. Linear and long with fine, powdery and chewy tannins. Crushed velvet texture. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, and 12% cabernet franc. More franc than normal in the blend. Terrific length.

Coleraine ’21, 98 Points

Baked plum, cream and a touch of vanilla almost have an overtone of citrus. The palate is alive with white pepper spiciness, dense with ripe plum and red cherry, while a lactic note sets another aromatic accent. Fruit and flavour are concentrated yet the texture is very fine. Tannins are like starched velvet – rich, smooth and crunchy – and the aromas just swirl with heady abandon. This presses just so many pleasure buttons.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 96 Points

Very deep bright purple colour; the bouquet shows similar mulberry, blackcurrant and raspberry fruit aromas as the Awatea but the wine is more concentrated all-round and shows a little more oak (65% new). There are violet notes and a sprinkle of spices including nutmeg too. The tannins are more persuasive and mouthcoating also, and the length is prodigious.

A smashing cabernet blend, and a top vintage for this wine.

Coleraine ’21, 97 Points ★★★★★

Deep-ish purple-red colour, glowing and bright; there are fresh mulberry, blackcurrant and raspberry aromas paired with a delicate sheen of barely perceptible nuttiness from oak (30% new). The wine is tautly focused, poised and long on the palate, refined and vibrant. It’s just a babe and will reward cellaring big-time.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, 95 Points ★★★★★

Almost glass-staining purple colour, very bright; the bouquet loaded with an amalgam of brown spice aromas, toasted nuts too, including clove, nutmeg and pepper.

A powerful, concentrated and tensioned wine with bright acidity and firm but measured tannins that lead into a very long finish. Great potential here.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Brilliant and deep purple colour; remarkable for pinot noir, then an explosive bouquet of black cherry and dark plum, loaded with spices too numerous to list. Oak (30% new) is perfectly harmonised. There is no wholebunch character—less than 3% of stems were included—so the wine has amazing fruit purity. It’s very intense and vivacious in the mouth, with tight, firm but measured tannins and prodigious length.

This will richly reward a little cellar time.

Alma Pinot Noir ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Light, bright yellow hue with a complex bouquet of sneaky hints of buttered toast, roasted hazelnuts and underlying citrus fruits, lemon and grapefruit. Creamy lees and shortbreadlike malo characters. There is excellent intensity of flavour powered along by great acidity that really drives the wine and prevents it being heavy. Concentration and drive in spadefuls. A generous, mouthfilling chardonnay with great amplitude and incredible length. Very satisfying to sip.

No hurry to drink it—and time will bring increased complexity

Elston Chardonnay ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Light yellow hue leads into a powerful bouquet of nutty, spicy barrel-fermented aromas well meshed with ripe sauvignon fruit aromas, the palate likewise intense and long, with great volume and concentration as well as wonderful focus.

A top barrel fermented style of savvy.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’21, 96 Points ★★★★★

Very deep, bright purple-red colour with a slightly raw, callow aroma of mulberry, blueberry and violet, the palate lean and sinewy with intensity and focus, tension and length, with fine, lacy tannins and good balance. Enjoy it now for its remarkable fruit purity or cellar to build some complexity.

Merlot/Cabernet ’21, 92 Points ★★★★

Deep, bright purple-red colour; very attractive brown spices, liquorice, black fruit aromas, with a touch of earthy/stony character. It’s medium bodied at best, with lively palate presence encouraged by fresh acidity, the palate drying with savoury, powdery tannins and the balance is good, albeit towards the dry end of the spectrum.

Syrah ’21, 91 Points ★★★★

Pale colour; very fragrant aromas, citrus fruits and small flowers, the intensity is very good and it’s bone-dry and long in the mouth.

Sauvignon Blanc ’22, 92 Points ★★★★

Pineapple, fresh strawberry with green bits, guava, cinnamon oak, a
touch of match stick. Saline, crunchy, fresh pineapple, creamy, some vanilla and spiced oak, clean and fleshy, nashi pear, pink grapefruit, oregano and thyme (quite a few things, really), fine chalk dust texture, a gentle grassiness and youthful oak bobs up on a long finish. These wines age very well, so while good now, no hurry if you like them with some extra complexity.

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’21, 94 Points

This is Mendoza and 548 clone. 30% new French oak for 11 months. A bit more restraint and brightness to Elston these days, though it still has a certain opulence. Almond, cinnamon, nutmeg, green tobacco, a little gun smoke, nashi pear and nectarine. There’s some real lemonade flavour along with dried pear, a pleasing crunch and freshness to acidity, a friand and dried coconut richness, and a bright finish of excellent length. Ticks a lot of boxes, you might say. Very good chardonnay.

Elston Chardonnay, 94 Points

Seem to have missed the 2020 Bullnose, though here we are with the 2021, which is a similar vintage in terms of quality and character, though comes with a bit more freshness in terms of acid profile, and perhaps more aromatics. Intense purple colour. Very bright and floral, a sniff of black and white pepper
and baking spice, really quite exotic perfume here, grilled meat, purple fruit, boysenberry. Gee, it really pops. Medium-bodied, bright and fresh, lots of energy, red fruits, graphite tannin, umami flavours but not at the expense of fragrance and finesse. Finish is excellent, and long, kind of dusty and spicy, a distinctly cool ‘mineral’ feel, with a game and juniper berry edge. A terrific expression of Hawke’s Bay syrah.

Bullnose Syrah ’21, 95+ Points

50% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot and 14% cabernet franc. Tasted alongside the 2020 and while they’re obviously similar, there’s more acidity and leafy perfume in the 2021.

Blackcurrant, raspberry and leaf, tobacco, and spicy perfume, pencil/cedar oak. Medium-bodied, tannin sits so nicely within the wine, fresh and long, with classic fragrance in with that. So ‘minerally’ and cool. Very long. Precision and definition mark it out as a wine of class and fine filigreed deliciousness. It’s just
so good, energetic, stony and definitely worthy of cellaring. Superb.

Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’21, 95+ Points

56% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 12% cabernet franc. Because I care, I just nipped down to the cellar to open a bottle of the 2020 Coleraine to compare and contrast with the 2021. The 2020 is packed with tannin, texture, earthiness, and power, while the 2021 is brighter, a bit more frisky in acidity, with more leafy perfume. A little more flamboyant, but equal. It’s not a competition, more of a love in. The 2021 may well be the ‘better’ wine in time, though it’s kind of hard to tell, and may just come down to personal preference.

Dark and intense, lots of perfume, red and black fruits, tobacco, a leafy pop that’s pure varietal class, creamy oak, lead pencils, aniseed and spice. Medium to full-bodied, a flood of flavour, super ‘mineral’ feel to the acidity, tannin is superb, and the finish is so long. Light but so dense. There’s a fresh raspberry juiciness here too, and an extra dimension of tension and energy. All the graphite and presence. Incredible wine.

Coleraine ’21, 97+ points

I just got off a Zoom tasting with the affable, intelligent and perceptive winemaker from Te Mata Estate, Phil Brodie, and we discussed what might be coming from them in vintage 2021, with respect to Awatea and Coleraine. Pretty exciting, I’d say. From my point of view, I see this entry level wine as a hybrid of the structure and thrumming power of 2019, with the rich and fleshy flavour of 2020. The shape of things to come. Pencils, black fruit, black olive, violet, spice. Medium-bodied, ripe tannin, rich, zesty, green and black olive, blue and red fruit. aniseed, crushed berries, such a good wine, so lively and packed with dark berry fruit and saline flavour. Firm grip of tannin on a very long finish. All the things. Impeccable. Hard to imagine a better value, and more serious Bordeaux blend at this price point.

 Te Mata’s Cape Crest aligns with the Bordeaux model of dry, oak-influenced, ageworthy Sauvignon Blanc – and absolutely bears comparison with the great whites of Pessac-Léognan and Graves.

The 2020 vintage is a blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 9% Sémillon and 6% Sauvignon Gris, fermented and matured in French oak barriques (of which 30% were new) for 11 months, which is very much the traditional recipe for the style. The result is a lip-smacking combo of butter, cream and spice, alongside box-fresh citric fruit and leafy notes that are the hallmarks of the variety.

Te Mata are best known for their reds, especially the much-admired Coleraine bordeaux blend, but when tasting their range recently it was Cape Crest that stood out for me. Not only are the flavours both utterly delicious and wholly representative of an underrated style, but it also has a beguiling waxiness that would make it an ideal partner for many types of dish. I can imagine it holding up equally well to seafood salads, creamy sauces, or even local lamb
cooked with Moroccan spices.

One sip and you’ll see straight away how this wine has become an absolute aristocrat in sauvignon blanc circles. Gorgeously golden in the glass, it’s crafted from a blend of 85% sauvignon blanc, 9% semillon and 6% sauvignon gris which is gently fermented in a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barrels which adds flesh and complexity. It was then aged on its lees, and stirred regularly for 11 months to create a wine scented with smoked lemongrass, soft basil, beeswax and magical marzipan. On the palate, it shows precision, supple lines and deep, lingering textures to finish. Love it. ★★★★ 1/2

Coleraine ’20 – Unbelievably good. Young, but the potential is overwhelmingly potent. Floral, nutty, intense small-berried fruit, cedar, anise and sweet herb. Tight, medium-bodied, so concentrated, but light too, ultra-mineral, fresh, all the gravel and tense cabernet feel, but with perfume unlocked: so flagrant and fragrant. The length is superb. I’m taken aback by the beauty and essence-like nature of this wine. My precious. Easily one of the best wines I’ve tasted in the last decade.’ 98+ Points

Coleraine ’20 – ‘Very deep, bold, bright purple/red colour, the aromas similarly impressive for their concentration and vibrancy. The wine is superconcentrated 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 longterm. The patient will be handsomely rewarded.’ 97 Points ★★★★★