Once accurately described as 'a national treasure' by Jancis Robinson MW, New Zealand's oldest wine estate Te Mata always impress, shining as one of the calendar's most anticipated releases. With every step of their winemaking undertaken in the foothills of Te Mata Peak, each of their showcase whites and reds you'll find below proves why their work in Hawke's Bay is so renowned, as well as totally unique from the rest of the country. 128 years of history will bring a certain know-how, after all! We always love just how precise these wines feel; the palates taut and lengthy, marrying classic New Zealand fragrance and fruit with an array of subtle complexities.
In honour of these newest gems, including their most revered creation in the Coleraine (with the new 99-point 2022 vintage), we're so pleased to be showing them at this week's Saturday (9th) tasting from 12 to 2pm! The sheer depth of flavours and quality on show will be simply too good to miss, and we'll be looking to highlight this exceptional work from their current crew; thought of by many (ourselves included) as arguably the very finest team of winemaking minds in the estate's long history!
Te Mata Tasting Lineup - Saturday 9th of March
Running from 12 to 2pm
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Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc 2022 - $43 on special ; $49 RRP
// 88% Sauvignon Blanc, 7% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon
"Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’22 bursts with its signature perfume – vibrant concentrated nectarine, grapefruit and lime zest with lemongrass, guava and subtle toast notes. The attack broadens into ripe stone fruit and herbal seasoning, developing remarkable richness across the length of the palate. A balanced weight and crystalline acidity add to the immense fruit concentration and long savoury, saline finish. An embodiment of excellence. Is this the best Cape Crest yet? Certainly, it’s the most complex and complete." - Winemaker Notes
"Light, bright colour; intense nutty, spicy, balsamic bouquet with dried flowers and assorted spices galore, the palate tremendously intense and powerful, loaded with a myriad flavours and a multi-layered reosnance that lingers ion and on. A profound wine that exists on a higher level than most sauvignon blanc." - 96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
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Awatea Cabernet Merlot 2021 - $46 on special ; $52 RRP
// 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." - 95+ Points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
"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." - 95 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
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Elston Chardonnay 2022 - $52 on special ; $59 RRP
"Glowing a brilliant lemon-gold in the glass, Elston Chardonnay ’22 overflows with ripe citrus, fresh brioche, and grilled hazelnuts. On the palate an impressive intensity of ripe nectarine and grilled lemon builds upon soft creamy nougat notes, adding a vibrant acidity, balance and focus. With exceptional length, freshness, purity, and a complex interplay of fruit and savoury notes, Elston Chardonnay ’22 is expressive and moreish – a remarkable embodiment of its terroir that exemplifies the quintessential qualities of this classic Hawke’s Bay chardonnay." - Winemaker Notes
"Light-mid yellow colour; subtle nutty/nougat and wheat-meal complexities, the palate tremendously intense, bright, tensioned and focused, with terrific balance and persistence. The subtle complexities really creep up on you. Great concentration and crystalline focus. It is superb now and will richly reward cellaring." - 97 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
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Alma Pinot Noir 2020 - $73 on special ; $83 RRP
"Bright, delicately aromatic pinot noir with cassis, dark plum, violet, wood smoke and quite prominent spicy oak. The wine has an appealing purity and seamlessness. It delivers power with consummate subtlety. Accessible now but promises to age gracefully." - 95 Points, Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review
"Gorgeously seductive and perfumed, the bouquet shows red cherry, floral, thyme and warm spice aromas with a hint of mushroom complexity. The palate offers impressive substance and seamless flow, beautifully complemented by fleshy texture and fine polished tannins. Superbly harmonious and multi-layered with a prolonged velvety finish. At its best now to 2034." - 96 Points, Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
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Bullnose Syrah 2021 - $75 on special ; $85 RRP
"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." - 96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"The 2021 Bullnose gives us Asian five spice, musk, red dirt, gravel and blueberry on the nose. There's a distinctly darker fruit character on the palate, with red licorice, pomegranate, savory and gentle meat nuances. This is fleshy but with energy and finesse. Matured for 16 months in French oak (33% new), it's almost creamy, with hints of cream soda and sarsaparilla, and there's a spice/blood root character. This wine achieves that aspirational balance between sweet fruit and savory tannin." - 94+ Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
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Te Mata Coleraine 2022 - Available for $155
// 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc
"Deep, brooding purple-red colour with a concentrated berry fruit bouquet laced with cedar, violets and dried herbs, gorgeous fruit and classy oak embellishment. The wine is full bodied and powerful, with a generous serving of fine grained tannins that add length, authority and a drying but supple finish. Tremendous persistence and wonderful structure. A great wine, that will richly reward long-term cellaring." - 99 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"Laden at this stage with the outrageous attractiveness of youth. I mean, it's irresistible. There's raspberry, nori, rose petals, coffee grounds, star anise, salted licorice, sun-dried kelp/nori, warm pine (I know this smell because I was hiking around the Te Mata peak yesterday, and there was a fallen pine tree lying in the sun, and it smelled great) and layers of peppercorns. In the mouth, the wine is so fresh, so alive, with so much energy, but it already is showing the svelte line of this house, this place. With a hint of raw cocoa laced through the finish, I'm sad to push this glass away. It will be the last time that I taste it for a while. A ripper. Excellent." - 97+ Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
If you wish to buy any of these wines, please use the links above ? Alternatively, email us at sales@thewineemporium.com.au, or contact us on (07)32521117 if you have any questions // Prices valid until the Thursday the 14th of March