Te Mata Bullnose Syrah 2018 ~ Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

97/100 Sam Kim
96/100 Huon Hooke
96/100 Cameron Douglas
95/100 The Wine Front
90/100 Decanter World Wine Awards
16.5/20 Jancis Robinson

Te Mata Estate is regarded as one of New Zealand’s most important wine producers

Sam Kim "The palate is concentrated, focused and delightfully flowing with outstanding depth and intensity, while remaining elegant and poised, leading to an extremely long expansive finish. Harmonious, seamless and flawlessly precise. Combining exquisite refinement and undeniable power, this latest offering is another stunning beauty under this iconic label...The gorgeously perfumed bouquet shows Black Doris plum, sweet raspberry, violet, olive and toasted almond characters with a whiff of fragrant spice. "

Jancis Robinson "Confected black fruit, finely layered tannins, a touch of bacon and smoke on the finish. Dry, savoury, meaty persistence."

Cameron Douglas "A great bouquet, the fine nose of Syrah with white and black peppercorn, roses and lavender, a core of red currants, black cherry and Doris plum, some sweet olive and new leather. Firm, youthful and dry with an abundance of tannins and acidity."

Decanter "A very modern take on Syrah which turns up the chocolate and cappuccino characters to create a rich and silky wine. There’s dark cherry and ripe raspberry fruit to balance the roasted coffee tannins with an acid spike. Extended skin contact and a warmish fermentation have given this depth and elegance."

Gary Walsh "Ras el hanout (راس الحانوت) is a spice mix that means ‘head of the shop’, and maybe we have a bull in a shop here, such is the level of exotic spice and perfume pumping out of the glass. In with that, some lavender and vanilla, cherry and redcurrant, a smattering of green herb too. It’s light to medium-bodied, fine emery tannin, juicy raspberry acidity and flavour, inner-mouth perfume and spiced wood aromatic, and a dusty white pepper texture and taste on a cool long finish. Nice and ‘minerally’ too. You have to like them spicy and lithe, and if so, this’ll be close to the top of the shop for you."

Huon Hooke "...a pronounced spicy, peppery aroma, the palate sweet rich and deep in very elegant, classy fruit flavour. The tannins are ample and refined, balanced and the wine is overall delicious. Black pepper, subtle cloves and other spices. It has a core of fruit sweetness that is utterly delicious."

World of Fine Wine 'Getting to know a legend' "A visit to one of the world’s greatest fine-wine estates should be an integral part of any tour of New Zealand. On the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island is the independently owned, family-run, Te Mata Estate. Owners and staff still work on vineyards that began growing Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir back in the 1890s, making it the country’s oldest wine estate. Since 1905, this winery has been winning gold medals globally, which led to these sites becoming the country’s first to be protected by law due to their viticultural history...Te Mata Estate wines are currently available in 45 countries and have been presented at some of the world’s top tables— including to President Barrack Obama, President Xi Jinping, and Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee."

Raymond Chan "Te Mata Estate was the standard by which every other wine producer could be judged against, as the full range of styles has always been impeccable. In the earlier days, Hawke’s Bay was the scene of New Zealand’s quality wine, so it was very apt to have Te Mata Estate as the point of reference. Even when other regions developed, and Marlborough grew larger, and other varietals such as Pinot Noir became important, one could understand the state of the New Zealand wine industry by how Te Mata Estate behaved or reacted to influences, whether internal or international."

Te Mata Estate is regarded as one of New Zealand’s most important wine producers. It is New Zealand's oldest winery, oldest wine estate and has the oldest winery cellars in the country - in continuous operation since 1895. Coleraine is Te Mata's most acclaimed wine and is often regarded as New Zealand's best red wine.

Hawke's Bay is located on the east coast of the North Island in and around the cities of Napier, Hastings and Havelock North. This historic region has New Zealand's second-largest wine industry (after Marlborough) and is highly regarded for its red Bordeaux Blend wines. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Chardonnay are all planted widely across the region. Over the years, the region has won international acclaim for its very high-quality Bordeaux-style reds and full-bodied Chardonnays. Syrah, produced in a classic European style with strong black-pepper flavors, is another grape variety thought to have great potential here.

Syrah is a dark-skinned red wine grape. Its origins have been popularly debated, but its modern viticultural home is unquestionably the northern Rhône Valley of eastern France. In Australia, Syrah is the flagship variety and has developed such a distinct personality that it is essentially regarded as a distinct variety, is commonly known as Shiraz.