A beautifully fragrant Chardonnay that fuses traditional and modern winemaking techniques; whole bunch pressing, barrel fermentation, barrel maturation on gross lees, and malolactic fermentation. The nose offers lemon, white peach, popcorn and fresh pineapple and leads to a palate of lemon curd, crème brûlée, toasted cashew and slight touches of flint and smoke. This is vibrant and juicy with refreshing acidity and plenty of concentration.

Approachably priced, medium bodied blend of Bordeaux grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which delivers a dry, fruit forward experience. Good value for money.

Te Mata Estate is the oldest winery building in New Zealand and one of the oldest wineries in Hawke's Bay. It's a family owned and run business with two long terms winemakers, Phil Brodie and Peter Cowley (now retired and a partner in the company's Bullnose Vineyard - home to Syrah).

Spicy Syrah with complex notes of cloves, black pepper and a note of cedar. This is a lovely medium bodied red made with grapes grown on the Woodthorpe Terraces and Bridge Pa Triangle. Grapes were all destemmed for fermentation and given extended maceration on skins before pressing into a combination of new and seasoned French oak for five months’ maturation. The wine was fined with egg whites before bottling and is dry, spicy and medium bodied.

Te Mata Estate is one of the pioneers of Syrah in New Zealand and one of Hawke's Bay's longest continually running wineries.

Inspired by Beaujolais, made in Hawke's Bay and all about expressing Gamay's soft red berry flavours with lifted floral aromas and a smooth, medium body. Carbonic maceration was used for 47% of the wine and it enhances the fruit and floral aromas. The remaining 53% received a traditional, warm, red wine fermentation. The resulting wines completed their malolactic fermentation and were matured for seven weeks in seasoned French oak barrels, before blending and bottling.

Vineyards

In 1995, Te Mata Estate introduced to New Zealand a superior selection of Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc, the grape variety of the best wines of France’s Beaujolais region. Estate Vineyards Gamay Noir 2020 is a single vineyard wine from Te Mata Estate’s Woodthorpe Terraces vineyard, harvested on 3 and 12 March 2020.

Woodthorpe vineyard is located on elevated, north facing terraces in Hawke’s Bay Tutaekuri River valley. Between 1863 and 1914 it was home to the annual Woodthorpe races. 

Coleraine is the flagship wine of Te Mata Estate in Hawke’s Bay and is one of New Zealand’s most highly collectible and highly valued red wines. It was first made in 1989 as a single vineyard wine and has since forged a reputation for its long term ageability and great quality as a blend from valued vineyards in the hills of Havelock. This area is historically important in the New Zealand wine industry because it is home to some of the country's first grapevines ever planted in 1892. 

Coleraine vineyards    

The 2019 Coleraine was made from hand harvested grapes grown on several vineyards owned by Te Mata Estate, which were picked between 26 March and 10 April 2019.                                                                                                      

Each individual pick of grapes was destemmed before being given a traditional warm, plunged fermentation followed by extended maceration on skins. The resulting wines were then pressed mostly to new French oak barrels for 16 months of maturation with regular topping and racked. The blend was made in January 2020 and the finished wine was bottled in December 2020. 

Coleraine blend

Change is the only constant in Coleraine, which varies each year in terms of exact percentages of each grape variety used in the wine. It is always a blend of red grapes which traditionally come from Bordeaux in south west France. These varieties also do well in Hawke's Bay hot dry summer climate where balance is provided by the region's cool nights. 

The 2019 Coleraine is 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc.                                                                                            

History of the wine and the name... Coleraine
The name Coleraine comes from the Coleraine vineyard situated on the land which is home of John and Wendy Buck of Te Mata Estate. John’s late grandfather was born in Coleraine in Northern Ireland, which originally inspired the name. 

The first vintage of Coleraine was in 1989 Coleraine has been an assemblage of the finest wines produced from distinct plots within Te Mata Estate’s oldest vineyards on the Havelock Hills.

Reviews for 2019 Coleraine

"An iconic brand meets a terrific vintage. The result is a “must have” wine for collectors and investors. This is elegance on a grand scale and one of the best vintages I’ve tasted. Still youthful and quite closed (it was bottled on the day I tasted it) but with plushness and power."  Bob Campbell. February 2021

Elston is the top Chardonnay of Te Mata Estate and is a powerfully long lived dry white with a full body, aromas of cream, hazlenuts and almonds leading into a rich citrusy, textural wine. 

Elston takes its name from the ancestral home of Charles Darwin, Elston Hall in Nottinghamshire, the UK, and tastes dry with ripe stone fruit flavours of peach and nectarines, balanced by a citrusy, creamy and lingering finish. 

A great wine to enjoy now and to keep.

Sauvignon Blanc with a powerful new twist - full bodied, textural dry white blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Sauvignon Gris (a varietal in its own right rather than a blend, despite the name). This wine is bone dry and refreshing with high but beautifully balanced acidity. Flavours of ripe gooseberry, lime and sea salt, dill, coriander, beeswax  and subtle woodsmoke notes all combine in this beautiful barrel fermented white. 

This is one of New Zealand's iconic dry, full bodied, top quality Sauvignon Blancs with its lush fruity style and bold flavours. 

Te Mata Estate is one of Hawke's Bay's oldest working wineries and was among the first to pioneer the purity of Bordeaux styled Sauvignon Blanc.

Te Mata Tasting Note
The deep crimson colour of Coleraine ‘21, edged in royal purple, is the first clue to this wine’s exceptional character. Pure Hawke’s Bay cabernet aromatics leap from the glass – wild blackberry, blackcurrant, thyme, and cedar, all interwoven with that signature Coleraine perfume of fresh roses.

The palate precisely balances richness with vibrant energy; modern and varietally expressive, with cassis, raspberry, mocha, spice, and a distinctive minerality that is uniquely 2021. The fruit ripeness is so succulent, it cloaks those profound, chiselled tannins that carry the palate on endlessly. With perfume, power, finesse, and length this is an absolute original. Coleraine ’21 is ‘The One’.

Accolades

100 Points ‘undeniably THE GOAT of New Zealand wine’, Sam Kim
98 Points ‘Is it one of the best Coleraines ever?’,  James Suckling
97+ Points  ‘Incredible wine’, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
97 Points  ‘A smashing cabernet blend’, Huon Hooke, The Real Review

 

Te Mata Awatea is often described as a baby Coleraine and is one of Hawke's Bay's most iconic red wines. First made in 1982 as a classic blend of Bordeaux red grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Proportions vary each year and the wine was declassified in 2012 due to a cool vintage and the need to separate the two wines, Coleraine and Awatea. Both are excellent and both deliver robust classic reds for drinking now or cellaring for the long term. Awatea delivers excellent value for money for its consistently outstanding quality, great balance of dry spicy flavours and dark fruit forward approachability. 

Te Mata Estate is Hawke's Bay's oldest winery building and one of its oldest wineries; a family owned company with an eye on producing great New Zealand wines modelled on and inspired by the world's classic great wines.

The long awaited vintage 2022 Coleraine harnesses the energy and complexity of Te Mata Cabernet Sauvignon, on show at its highest level since the first Coleraine in 1982.

Beautiful floral aromas of lavender, violet, plum and blackcurrant, are all in orbit around the wine’s dark savoury core of tightly wound graphite, nori, coffee grounds, vanilla and tobacco.  The palate is intensely concentrated, with a superbright tension building freshness and precision as layer upon layer of fine polished tannins give pinpoint detail alongside signature, exacting, levels of finesse.

Coleraine '22 is a modern reprise of what makes Coleraine iconic, a wine balancing past and future, heritage and innovation. This is a statement wine, one that lingers both on the palate and in the mind.

 

Outstanding Hawke's Bay Syrah which was first made in the early 1990s from iron rich soils. This makes Bullnose one of the oldest Syrah brands in Hawke's Bay, named after one of the vineyards from which the wine is made (which, in turn, was named after the vineyard owners' love of old cars, particularly the pre 1928 Bullnose). The grapes come from two vineyards, Bullnose and Isosceles, both in the Bridge Pa Triangle; one of the warmer growing areas of Hawke's Bay, thanks to both soil and climate there. 

Aging for 15 months in French oak, which provides its spicy notes and depth.

A beautiful wine for drinking now or for cellaring. 

Coleraine derives its name from the Coleraine vineyard, home of John and Wendy Buck of Te Mata Estate. John’s late grandfather was born in Coleraine in Northern Ireland and the name has been maintained through the family home to the wine. Originally a single vineyard wine, from 1989 Coleraine has been an assemblage of the finest wines produced from distinct plots within Te Mata Estate’s oldest vineyards on the Havelock Hills.

Te Mata have dubbed the 2023 Coleraine 'The Return of The King'.
In the realm of fine wine, Coleraine is Te Mata’s crowning jewel – a cabernet sauvignon that embodies the essence of the variety’s title: The King of Grapes. 

The latest vintage, the illustrious 2023, reigns supreme with a level of expression and finesse as robust as its lineage.  A stately example of coastal cabernet, the 

Coleraine ’23 harmonizes intricate varietal notes with an elegant structure  and a power that feels both balanced and commanding. At its core lies the indomitable characteristics of cabernet –  the grape upon which Coleraine’s reign has always been built.

Te Mata’s cabernet collection, sourced from seven noble selections across 24 vineyard parcels, is majestic in the  Coleraine ’23 blend, commanding a regal 80% of the composition. Joined by 15% merlot and a touch of  5% cabernet franc, this royal assembly reflects the multitude of soil types and vineyard sites that define our  sub-regions. Coleraine is New Zealand’s greatest red wine – a true returning king in every sense.

ORIGIN Elston is named for Elston Hall in Nottinghamshire, the ancestral home of Charles Darwin’s family. Darwin’s ‘theory of natural selection’ forms the basis of modern evolutionary theory, the foundation of biology. The wyvern symbol of Elston Hall appears on the label. 

VINEYARDS T he superb quality of the 2024 vintage was immediately apparent in the fully ripe grapes that were hand-harvested from their separate, individual plots within Te Mata Estate’s vineyards between 26 February and 20 March 2024. 

WINEMAKING Each parcel was gently whole-cluster pressed, cold settled and racked to new and seasoned French oak barrels for fermentation. The resulting wines remained in contact with their yeast lees, with a number going through malolactic fermentation. The finest lots were selected for further maturation, spending a total of 11 months in barrel with 33% being new oak.

A great Syrah which as first made in the early 1990s from iron rich soils in Hawke's Bay. This makes Bullnose one of the oldest Syrah brands in Hawke's Bay, named after one of the vineyards from which the wine is made (which, in turn, was named after the vineyard owners' love of old cars, particularly the pre 1928 Bullnose). The grapes come from two vineyards, Bullnose and Isosceles, both in the Bridge Pa Triangle; one of the warmer growing areas of Hawke's Bay, thanks to both soil and climate there. 

Aging for 15 months in French oak, which provides its spicy notes and depth.

A beautiful wine for drinking now or for cellaring. 

Te Mata Awatea is often described as a baby Coleraine and is one of Hawke's Bay's most iconic red wines. First made in 1982 as a classic blend of Bordeaux red grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Proportions vary each year and the wine was declassified in 2012 due to a cool vintage and the need to separate the two wines, Coleraine and Awatea. Both are excellent and both deliver robust classic reds for drinking now or cellaring for the long term. Awatea delivers excellent value for money for its consistently outstanding quality, great balance of dry spicy flavours and dark fruit forward approachability. 

Te Mata Estate is Hawke's Bay's oldest winery building and one of its oldest wineries; a family owned company with an eye on producing great New Zealand wines modelled on and inspired by the world's classic great wines.