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Cabernet Merlot Coleraine, Te Mata Estate 2021

RegionNew Zealand
Subregion New Zealand > Hawkes Bay
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

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Label

Tasting Notes

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. Try after 2028.

98
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, January 2023

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

98
Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, February 2023

The 2021 Coleraine is a superstar. It's the best I recall seeing on release in recent years, a total "pleasure-dome" situation. Tea tree, oyster shell, lavender, black tea and tobacco leaf burst from the glass. Seamless, polished tannins grace the palate. There is texturally more silk to the tannins here than the Awatea tasted beside this (another great wine, for what it's worth). There are notes of creamy red fruits, cassis and bramble, Asian five spice, black cherry and graphite/mineral skein. The persistence of flavor here is extraordinary; it's detailed and nuanced but insistent in the mouth. The tannins cup the fruit in the mouth. Winemaker Phil Brodie said there are no enzymes or added tannin; it's all from the vineyard. This is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc. 2021 was left in barrel a little longer than the 2020 to refine the tannins. 2023 - 2043

I buy this every year, regardless of conditions, and this year I am very smug about that.

98
Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate, September 2023
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.