98/100 Huon Hooke
98/100 Bob Campbell
97/100 The Winefront
94/100 Wine Enthusiast

A Wine Legend ~ Decanter Magazine
New Zealand's Great Red Wine ~ Raymond Chan

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

Coleraine is Te Mata's most acclaimed wine and is often regarded as New Zealand's best red wine

World of Fine Wines "Regarded as New Zealand’s most famous red wine...Te Mata Estate’s flagship wine, Coleraine, which isn’t released every year, is keenly reflective of the vintage in which it is made. When it is released, it immediately becomes a collector’s item, with the last four vintages selling out from the winery within weeks." ....In 2018 35-year verticals of Te Mata Estate Coleraine achieved the highest-ever auction price paid for any collection of New Zealand wine.

The Winefront "Magnificent.....Luxuriate in the quality on offer here, now, and for decades to come. Black fruit, raspberry coulis, sweet rolling tobacco, hazelnut, roses, nutmeg and paprika. It’s tightly packed, with a distinct ‘mineral’ feel to the acidity, concentrated but light on its feet. Dark chocolate and subtle leafy fragrance, long and powerful through the finish, with a deliciously adult walnut burr to close."

Huon Hooke "Te Mata Estate Coleraine is one of the greatest New Zealand wines, with a 37-year span of vintages, and, most surprisingly it was a great wine from the very first vintage. Very deep, concentrated, bright purple/red colour. The bouquet is exquisite with a multitude of black fruits, blueberry, cassis, violet and cedar aromas, and much more besides. The detail is outstanding, as is the intensity of the palate. It’s very concentrated and powerful, firmly-structured and has tremendous persistence. The tannins are firm and abundant and will help guarantee a long life, but they are ripe and accessible and the wine is already approachable"

Bob Campbell "This is classic Coleraine with cassis, cedar, floral, blueberry, a suggestion of wood smoke, anise and spicy oak flavours. Terrific depth and an exquisite balance between fruit sweetness and acid/tannin structure. It will be a long-distance runner."

The Winemaker "The 2018 is one of the 2-3 finest Coleraines we have released to date."

Tom Cannavan "...one of New Zealand's most loved and respected red wines, made in the best years at the Te Mata estate since 1982. Hand-harvested from the best blocks of old vines in the hillside vineyard opposite the winery in Havelock North, the wine saw extended maceration before spending 17 months in French oak barriques, 60% of which were new. It was bottled in December 2019. Slightly deeper in colour than 2017, a solid crimson, it has a truly lovely perfume, touches of violet and kirsch like the 2017, a little bit of briar and olive, but more overtly ripe and plush fruit suggesting blackcurrant and cherry with less of the currant leaf note of 2017. The slightly greater ripeness is apparent. Substantial and creamy on the palate, a flood of fruit is sweet and ripe, fleshy with plum and bramble, but the impression of bittersweetness comes with the endive and liquorice bite of the tannins, a touch of roasted chestnut, and fresh, vital acidity."

Cabernet sauvignon (52%), merlot (33%) and cabernet franc (15%).

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 New Zealand's 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.

Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot wines are made from two of the world's most famous and most widely grown wine grapes. The pair form the foundation of many of the great wines of Bordeaux, where this classic blend (often dubbed "Bordeaux Blend") is thought to have originated. For centuries, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot have been the quintessential Bordeaux wine grapes, but their fame and popularity have now taken them far beyond the banks of the Garonne, Dordogne and Gironde, to the furthest reaches of the wine world.

In California, the blend is often labelled as Meritage – providing the producer meets the requirements of the Meritage Alliance. The Australian regions of Coonawarra, Margaret River and Yarra Valley are highly regarded for their unique expressions of the blend. A Bordeaux Blend is any combination of those grape varieties typically used to make the red wines of Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon is widely accepted as a compulsory component of any Bordeaux Blend along with Merlot. In fact, the majority of Bordeaux Blend wines are often made exclusively from a blend of these two varieties. The remaining components are Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.