6 of the best
This week Mac Macpherson deviates from the usual potpourri of domestic and international wines to focus on some of the 2019 premium releases from Te Mata Estate.
The year 2019 was a very special vintage in Hawke’s Bay; a year when all varietals performed to the peak of their potential. Typically one or two varieties will outshine the others at harvest time, but the fruit from 2019 shone brightly across the board. I have heard many senior members of the winemaking community call 2019 the best vintage they have seen, and I think it is fair to say that it has surpassed the heavily hyped 2013 vintage in the minds of most commentators.
Accordingly, I was excited to taste a selection of wines from the 2019 Te Mata Estate portfolio with Te Mata’s Nick Buck, culminating with Coleraine 2019 – undoubtedly one of the most anticipated New Zealand releases of recent years.
Te Mata Estate Elston Chardonnay 2019 – Hawke’s Bay Available from $37.99
Elston 2019 is in rare form. The bouquet mixes a distinct grapefruit character with tropical fruits and a very subtle hint of flinty aromatics. That grapefruit character moves through to the palate where it is fleshed out with lightly creamy palate weight and some restrained oak notes. Those characters are underpinned with more citrus nuances and the classic stonefruit characters of good Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay. Vibrancy is key here, and Elston 2019 is wonderfully fresh and ‘alive’ in the mouth, while a hint of flinty, wet stone minerality brings another layer of complexity to the palate. The finish is very long with bright acidity rounding out the conversation. The interplay between barrel-fermentation and malolactic-fermentation (the process that converts fruit acids to creamy lactic acids) has been expertly handled and it is clear that dialing back the outcome of those processes has been front of mind for winemaker, Phil Brodie. I loved the way the power and drive we associate with good barrel-fermented Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay is omnipresent but always kept in check. I thought it was absolutely excellent. Enjoy over the coming decade.
Te Mata Estate Bullnose Syrah 2019 – Hawke’s Bay
Available from $67.99
This is the most lavish Bullnose I have tasted. The colour of the 2019 is a gorgeous dark purple with some lighter lilac / lavender highlights on the rim. The nose is very aromatic with some savoury game and dark fruit characters that are finessed with floral violet and spice notes. The palate is pillow-soft and rounded with plush flavours in the black plum and mixed berry spectrum. The finish shows supple tannins and creamy acidity that bring some tension to this otherwise silken expression of fine Hawke’s Bay Syrah. This is immediately attractive, impressive wine; more opulent and flowing than previous Bullnose releases. I think Hawke’s Bay is yet to gain consensus on the definitive regional syrah style but this is clearly an outstanding example of the more ‘feminine’ syrah model that more and more Hawke’s Bay winemakers are chasing. Enjoy over the coming 5+ years.
Te Mata Estate Awatea 2019 – Hawke’s Bay Available from $37.99
Awatea 2019 is a blend of cabernet sauvignon (46%), merlot (32%) and cabernet franc (22%). Like the Bullnose detailed above, this is the most opulent Awatea I have tasted to date. Awatea has long been promoted by the wine trade as the Te Mata red you enjoy while your Coleraine is coming of age in the cellar, but the 2019 takes that accessibility to new heights. The nose is classic Hawke’s Bay Cabernet blend, with dark spicy fruits and notes of dried herbs. The palate is fulsome and very rounded for young Awatea; a plush expression that is laden with black fruits and blueberry notes, polished tannins and excellent length. I wonder if the 2019 is the result of such a superlative vintage, or a stylistic shift from Te Mata to acknowledge the more generous, modern style of premium blended Hawke’s Bay reds? Regardless, I know that if you have followed this wine over the years, you will be very impressed. This is the best Awatea I have tried. Hands down.
Te Mata Estate Coleraine 2019 – Hawke’s Bay Available from $114.99
The 2019 is a blend of cabernet sauvignon (59%), merlot (37%) and cabernet franc (4%). In contrast to the sheer attractiveness that Awatea 2019 has in its youth, Coleraine is a study in elegance and refinement; indeed I can’t recall Awatea and Coleraine showing so divergently before. In typical fashion, Coleraine 2019 is quite closed on the nose with cabernet’s dark fruits, herbal / tobacco notes and some sweet wood spice showing through. The palate is medium-weight and very refined. Layers of dark spiced plum control the drive, while a ‘Bordeaux-esque’ seam of pencil lead adds further detail. There is plenty of tannin and tight acidity on the finish, and that finish is impossibly long. If ever there was a Coleraine with line and length, this is it, and I am certain that the 2019 vintage will be recognised as one of the greatest Coleraines produced so far. I am definitely looking forward to tasting this wine over the coming years, but this wine needs time and I will be patiently waiting to liberate the first bottle from my collection. Enjoy this Hawke’s Bay icon over the coming 20+ years.