By Raymond Chan
The Te Mata Showcase is one of the most
important wine tasting events on the wine lover’s calendar. Conducted at the start of each year, it
serves as a benchmark for looking at the rest of the country’s wines that year,
as the Te Mata wines figure among the country’s best. Te Mata Estate has enjoyed a wonderful run of
fine vintages and the releases over the last decade have been at the top of
their game. This year’s release
comprised the 2009 whites and 2008 reds, and with the quality of both years,
the wines epitomise what Te Mata strives to achieve consistently. Proprietor Nicholas
Buck and Technical Director Peter
Cowley yet again presented a fine line-up of wines in Wellington. A new format saw the white wines shown in an
informal tasting and the reds in a tutored format. This year’s event was special, as the new
2008 reds were tasted alongside the 1998 reds, wine from a uniquely hot and dry
year. Few attendees had tasted wines with
this span of age before. Following are
my notes on the wines tasted:
Flight
One: The White Wines
Served as a ‘mystery’ wine on arrival, the Te Mata ‘Cape Crest’ Sauvignon Blanc 2007
(18.0+/20), 13.5% alc, 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 13% Semillon and 2% Sauvignon Gris,
showed a straw gold colour with a full, soft and rich bouquet of ripe herby
notes and some smoky elements from the full barrel ferment and 8 months in 30%
new oak. With some bottle age, the fruit
expression had mellowed and the textures have become quite harmonious. Full-bodied, there was excellent acidity, and
this should keep well for another 4-5 years.
Thought to be remarkably fresh by the attendees, this demonstrated the
aging ability of the Sauvignon variety under this this label. The first of the new release whites was the Te Mata ‘Cape Crest’ Sauvignon Blanc 2009
(19.0+/20), at 13.5% and a blend of 86% Sauvignon Blanc, 9% Semillon and 5%
Sauvignon Gris, fermented and matured 8 months innew and seasoned oak, was very
pale staw in colour showing its youth.
Beautifully fresh with exotic nectarine, herb and minerally aromas along
with a smoky oak touch, this was exquisitely fine on palate with intensity,
depth and tightly bound fruit flavours and fresh acid crispness. ‘Cape
Crest’ always looks fine
on release and this will age 5-8 years.
The second release under this label, the Te Mata ‘Zara’Viognier 2009 (18.5-/20),
at 14.0% alc, this was mainly fermented in seasoned oak with lees stirring, the
lesser portion tank fermented. Pale
straw with green hues, this was an aromatic beauty with exceptional fragrance
of florals, musk and apricots with honey nuances. Quite elegantly sized on palate, this was
fine-textured and fresh, in fact still a little shy in expression. This opened up in the glass. Drink over the next 4-5 years. Benefitting from some time in bottle now, the
Te Mata ‘Elston’ Chardonnay 2008
(19.0-/20) at 13.5% alc, was made from Mendoza
fruit totally barrel-fermented and aged in new and seasoned oak for 9 months
with 100% MLF. Light golden straw in
colour, this showed a full, intense nose of smoky, spicy, oak tinged nectarine
and grapefruit-like fruit with mealy, nutty aromas. Full-bodied, yet with class and style, this
had superb concentration of rich, stonefruit and mealy flavours on a palate of
fine textures and excellent acidity for balance. This evolved in glass revealing layers of
flavour. Will develop over the next 5+
years.
Flight
Two: The Red Wines
This structured presentation showed the new
release 2008s alongside the same wine from 10 years previous. 2008 was a warm, dry and favourable vintage
with the fruit harvested early. 1998 was
a drought vintage with the potential of fruit dehydration, with the Cabernet
Sauvignon performing superbly. The wines
were served in pairs. First was the Te Mata ‘Bullnose’ Syrah 1998
(18.5-/20) at 13.5% alc, aged for 15 months in new and 1 y.o. French
barriques. Now fully mature with deep
garnet red colour with mahogany hues, this had a dense nose of savoury meats,
leather with earth and animal complexities.
Full-flavoured yet quite elegant and lively, by way of its excellent
acidity, this had concentration and depth and a fine tannin backbone which
carried through to the long finish. The Te Mata ‘Bullnose’ Syrah 2008 (18.0+/20)
at 13.5% alc, was aged 16 months in new and seasoned French oak barriques. Deep purple hued ruby red in colour, this had
a sensational nose with finely fragrant florals, spices, pepper and black
fruits, quite piercing in intensity. On
palate, this was quite elegant, more gentle and plush, giving a real
accessibility. Excellent fine textures,
supple and with a lusciousness. A crowd
pleaser that will keep 6-8+ years easily.
The Te
Mata ‘Awatea’ Cabernet/Merlot 1998 (17.5-/20) at 13.5% alc, was 58% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, aged 18 months in French
barriques. Dark black red, impenetrable
in colour, this had a bouquet of dusty, earth and leather with cedary, quite
secondary now. The palate was full, firm
and structured, quite dry and the fruit behind the extraction. Still showing body and grip, this will hold
in a more austere style for some time yet.
This was enjoyed by many tasters.
The Te Mata ‘Awatea’
Cabernets/Merlot 2008 (18.5-/20), at 13.5% alc, was 44% Cabernet Sauvignon,
33% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franx and 7% Petit Verdot, aged 20 months in new and
seasoned French oak. Dark, deep,
black-red with purple hues, this was elegant on nose with lovely fragrant
blackcurrant aromas, quite pure in expression and supported by subtle oak. An elegant wine in mouthfeel, this was still
tight with fine-grained tannins behind pure blackcurrant varietal fruit,
beautifully knit and balanced. This will
cellar well over the next 7-10 years.
An already legendary wine, and again showing
superbly, the Te Mata ‘Coleraine’
Cabernet/Merlot 1998 (19.0+/20) at 13.5% alc, was 60% Cabernet Sauvignon,
32% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, aged 20 months in French oak. Black red with mahogany hues on edge, this
had a most complex, blossoming nose of savoury secondary complexities, almost
ethereal in nature. On palate, the
fine-grained tannin structure was the feature.
The rich flavours of savoury fruits, leather and cedar were more than
sufficient to speak of the ability of this wine to age as with classic Bordeaux wines. Another decade of cellaring ahead easily. The Te
Mata ‘Coleraine’ 2008 (19.0/20), at 13.5% alc, was 53% Cabernet Sauvignon,
28% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc, aged 20 months in predominantly new French
oak barrels. Very dark hued black-red
with purple hues, this has a wonderful purity of fragrant blackcurrant fruit
expression on the nose which is reflected on the refined and elegantly