Te Mata Estate Coleraine 2018

James Suckling Top 100 Wines of New Zealand 2021
Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2021

Te Mata Estate was acquired by John Buck in 1974 and the Buck family have been producing Te Mata wines ever since. Coleraine is named after John's family ancestral hometown in Northern Ireland. Coleraine is Te Mata Estate's flagship wine and is regarded by many as New Zealand's finest red wine. First produced in 1982, Coleraine is a classic blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. 

"Coleraine is, perhaps, my favourite red wine produced south of the equator. Exquisite perfume over purple silk sheets of dense tannin. Roll in them. Luxuriate in the quality on offer here, now, and for decades to come. Black fruit, raspberry coulis, sweet rolling tobacco, hazelnut, roses, nutmeg and paprika. It's tightly packed, with a distinct 'mineral' feel to the acidity, concentrated but light on its feet. Dark chocolate and subtle leafy fragrance, long and powerful through the finish, with a deliciously adult walnut burr to close. Magnificent."  Gary Walsh

The 2018 Coleraine is a blend of 52% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot and 15% cabernet franc. 

"If the Langton's Classification crossed the Tasman, Te Mata Coleraine would sit alongside Grange at its very pinnacle. Established, esteemed, outstanding – vintage after vintage, the glowing adjectives come thick and fast."  Langtons 

"A deep midnight-magenta, Coleraine '18 is symphonic in its harmony and presence. The aromatics are immediately varietal with grace notes of cassis, raspberry leaf, fresh roses, dark chocolate, lifted black cherry, espresso and cedar. The palate deepens the opening theme. There's tapenade, darkest blackberry and ripe plum while underneath, quietly, a precise, profound tannin structure resonates."  Te Mata Estate

Expert reviews

"Undeniably well-crafted and impeccably styled, the wine exhibits cassis, dark cherry, cedar, violet and subtle tobacco characters on the nose with a light seasoning of warm spice. The palate offers outstanding concentration and multi-layered mouthfeel, combined with fabulous fruit purity and elegant oak undertones, leading to an impressively prolonged finish backed by seamlessly integrated chalky tannins. A wine of sublime sophistication and presence. At its best: 2026 to 2038."  Sam Kim, Wine Orbit – 98 points

"Very deep, concentrated, bright purple/red colour. The bouquet is exquisite with a multitude of black fruits, blueberry, cassis, violet and cedar aromas, and much more besides. The detail is outstanding, as is the intensity of the palate. It's very concentrated and powerful, firmly-structured and has tremendous persistence. The tannins are firm and abundant and will help guarantee a long life, but they are ripe and accessible and the wine is already approachable. Drink: 2023-2048."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review – 98 points

"Bright, youthful blended red of cabernet sauvignon (52%), merlot (33%) and cabernet franc (15%). This is classic Coleraine with cassis, cedar, floral, blueberry, a suggestion of wood-smoke, anise and spicy oak flavours. Terrific depth and an exquisite balance between fruit sweetness and acid/tannin structure. It will be a long-distance runner. Drink: 2019-2028."  Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review - 98 points

"Coleraine is, perhaps, my favourite red wine produced south of the equator. This is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc produced from a warm year in Hawkes Bay. Exquisite perfume over purple silk sheets of dense tannin. Roll in them. Luxuriate in the quality on offer here, now, and for decades to come. Black fruit, raspberry coulis, sweet rolling tobacco, hazelnut, roses, nutmeg and paprika. It's tightly packed, with a distinct 'mineral' feel to the acidity, concentrated but light on its feet. Dark chocolate and subtle leafy fragrance, long and powerful through the finish, with a deliciously adult walnut burr to close. Magnificent.  Tasted: Feb 2020; Alcohol: 13.5%; Price: $115; Closure: Cork; Drink: 2024-2040+."  Gary Walsh, The Wine Front - 97 points

"A very concentrated nose with impressively rich blackberry, raspberry and dark-plum aromas. Dark chocolate, violet and cedary oak here, too. Very youthful. The palate has a very rich, intense and plush feel with fresh acidity and depth, amid long, fine and compressed tannins. Good freshness and concentration."  James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com - 97 points and Top 100 Wines of New Zealand 2021 

"Te Mata's top wine comes mostly from the Havelock Hills, the first legally protected vineyards in New Zealand. This vintage is a strong one, showcasing the power and ageability of a world-class red with the precision of this traditional estate. Notes of black currant, plum, black olive, baking spice, dried green herbs, vanilla and chocolate are present throughout. The chalky tannins are taut and powerful but well-integrated, hinting at a long life ahead. Drink 2022–2040."  Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast – 96 points and Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2021

Awards

Top 100 Wines of New Zealand 2021 - James Suckling
Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2021 

The story of coleraine

Te Mata Estate was acquired by John Buck in 1974 and the Buck family have been producing Te Mata wines ever since. Coleraine is named after John's family ancestral hometown in Northern Ireland. 

"Coleraine is New Zealand's greatest red wine"  - Sydney Morning Herald

Coleraine is Te Mata Estate's flagship wine and is regarded by many as New Zealand's finest red wine. First produced in 1982, Coleraine is a classic blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc, and displays the concentration, complexity and elegance found in the world's greatest wines. Coleraine showed the world that Hawke's Bay, and indeed New Zealand, was capable of making world class red blends.

Cabernet Sauvignon is nearly always the dominant grape variety but the blend has ranged from 94% Cabernet Sauvignon in 1982 down to just 25% in 2002. The remainder of the blend is predominantly Merlot with, usually, the addition of small amounts of Cabernet Franc.

The earlier vintages of Coleraine from 1982 to 1988 were all single-vineyard blends from the Coleraine vineyard. From 1989 onwards, the wine has been a blend of grapes from across the Te Mata Estate vineyards that were planted in 1982. 

Peter Cowley joined Te Mata as their sole winemaker in 1984, two years after Coleraine's inaugural vintage. He has been responsible for all the subsequent vintages until his retirement in 2019. Peter handed over the reins to now senior winemaker Philip Brodie, who has been part of the Te Mata Estate team since 1992.

"The absolute strength of Bordeaux blends is in different varieties and different soils, and that's where we started. But it is also really about the people that put these wines together, who made them what they are.

Although it might have been inspired by Bordeaux, the thing about Coleraine is that it has really come out of that shadow and it has developed its own voice and style in that time. When you go through 32 years of Coleraine, we are looking at New Zealand history – we are stepping out of the shadow of Bordeaux and taking pride in New Zealand."  Toby Buck, Te Mata Estate

Nick Buck discusses Coleraine (click on image to play video)

About the winery

Te Mata Estate was established in 1896, specialising in high-quality wines of classical style. The winery remains family owned, producing internationally recognized wines exclusively from its Hawke's Bay vineyards. 

"New Zealand's first growth" - Andy Howard MW, Decanter Magazine
"A national treasure" - Jancis Robinson MW
"New Zealand's greatest winery" - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Te Mata Estate was originally part of Te Mata Station, a large pastoral land-holding established by English immigrant, John Chambers, in 1854. After returning from France, John Chamber's third son, Bernard, had the idea to plant vineyards on the north-facing hills around Havelock North. In 1892 he planted vines on three parcels of hillside land above the homestead and began converting the original stables to ferment and mature the wines. The first vintage wines were released in 1986. Today, Te Mata Estate still uses those same three vineyards. 

The Chambers family sold the property in 1919. The property had two other owners until John and Wendy Buck acquired Te Mata Estate in 1978 and instigated a twenty-year development program, which commenced with the restoration of the original winery building and the replanting of all of the original vineyards. In addition, new vineyard sites were acquired in the Bridge Pa, Gimblett Gravels and Dartmoor Valley sub-regions of Hawke's Bay (refer map below). The Buck family have been producing Te Mata wines ever since. The success of Te Mata's wines in the '80s is credited with sparking the revival of Hawke's Bay as a top wine region.
 

 Te Mata Estate Winery and Hawke's Bay sub-regions