Te Mata Estate Coleraine Hawke's Bay 2023 Balthazar 12L

Te Mata Estate Coleraine Hawke's Bay 2023 Balthazar 12L"Breed rather than brute power, is the hallmark of Coleraine, estate grown in the Havelock North hills and matured in French oak barriques, predominantly new. This notably graceful red is a blend of cabernet sauvignon (80%) merlot (15%) and cabernet franc (5%). Dark and purple flushed, it is mouthfilling with dense well ripened blackcurrant plum and spice flavours, oak complexity and a finely structured, very harmonious finish" Michael Cooper

"Breed rather than brute power, is the hallmark of Coleraine, estate grown in the Havelock North hills and matured in French oak barriques, predominantly new. This notably graceful red is a blend of cabernet sauvignon (80%) merlot (15%) and cabernet franc (5%). Dark and purple flushed, it is mouthfilling with dense well ripened blackcurrant plum and spice flavours, oak complexity and a finely structured, very harmonious finish" Michael Cooper

"Stunning bouquet... engaging and captivating. The palate exhibits immense  concentration and presence, superbly enhanced by silky texture and layers of chalky tannins. The acidity is perfectly pitched and provides freshness to this long-living wine. A wine of meticulous precision and undeniable sophistication" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Jan 2025

"This cuvée is a selection of the best from each vintage. In 2023, the strongest performer was the Cabernet Sauvignon. The elevation in all aspects of this wine from the already tremendously impressive Awatea is significant. With raspberry, iodine, crushed shells, nori, pressed flowers, new lead pencil, tobacco, bramble and cassis, it is magnificent. I love this wine" Erin Larkin, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Jan 2025

"I’ve tasted every vintage of Coleraine ever made. The acid line in this wine puts me in mind of the 2021. Blackcurrant, essence of Cabernet thing here, dried herbs (thyme) and nori, tobacco, pencil, liquorice/aniseed … with a very long finish. Wonderful perfume. I’m spending a lot of time thinking about this wine, about where it will go, and where it sits in the pantheon of Te Mata Coleraine, and the upshot is, ‘up’" Gary Walsh, Wine Front, Dec 2024

A regal brilliant magenta hue, with blackcurrant and brooding complexity on an immensely concentrated palate. Raspberry, white flowers, soy, and espresso, arise on driftwood smoke, creating a fresh, elevated, coastal sensation, in an intense, tannin-rich, sculptured wine that’s captivating and irresistibly endless. This is Coleraine essence – a majestic statement of a place, a time, and a lineage.

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. A single vineyard wine until 1989, Coleraine is an assemblage of the finest wines produced from distinct plots within Te Mata Estate’s oldest vineyards first planted in 1892.Each parcel of grapes was destemmed before a traditional warm-plunged fermentation and extended maceration on skins. The resulting wines were then run to predominately new French oak barrels for 17 months’ maturation. Throughout this time, they were regularly topped and racked. The assemblage was made in October 2023 and the finished wine was bottled in December 2024. The final blend is 80% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot and 5% cabernet franc.

Coleraine ’23 was hand harvested from Te Mata Estate’s Hawke’s Bay vineyards between 31 March and 17 April 2023.