2018 Te Mata Estate Coleraine Cabernet Merlot 750ml

Awards, Ratings & Reviews

97/100 — Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate · 2018 Vintage
Tasted: Jun 2025
When to drink: 2025–2048

97/100 — The Wine Front · 2018 Vintage
Tasted: Feb 2020

96/100 — Wine Enthusiast · 2018 Vintage
Tasted: May 2021
“Te Mata's top wine comes mostly from the Havelock Hills, the first legally protected vineyards in New Zealand. This vintage is a strong one, showcasing the power and ageability of a world-class red with the precision of this traditional estate. Notes of black currant, plum, black olive, baking spice, dried green herbs, vanilla and chocolate are present throughout. The chalky tannins are taut and powerful but well-integrated, hinting at a long life ahead.”
Drink: 2022–2040

96/100 — Tom Cannavan · 2018 Vintage
Tasted: Jan 2020

— James Suckling · 2018 Vintage
Tasted: Dec 2020
“A very concentrated nose with impressively rich blackberry, raspberry and dark-plum aromas. Dark chocolate, violet and cedary oak here, too. Very youthful. The palate has a very rich, intense and plush feel with fresh acidity and depth, amid long, fine and compressed tannins. Good freshness and concentration. Drink or hold.”

About This Wine

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 retained through the family home to the wine.

A single-vineyard wine until 1989, Coleraine is now an assemblage of the finest wines from distinct plots within Te Mata Estate’s oldest Havelock Hills vineyards, first planted in 1892.

About the Winery

Te Mata Estate is one of Hawke’s Bay’s most historic and renowned wine producers and is particularly known for its Bordeaux-style blends, with Coleraine regarded as one of New Zealand’s most collectable wines.

All Te Mata Estate wines are made exclusively from estate-grown fruit using regenerative farming and organic techniques. Grapes are hand-harvested, and all wines are made and bottled at New Zealand’s oldest operating winery.

Specifications

• Vintage: 2018
• Grape Variety: 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc
• Region: Hawke's Bay / New Zealand
• Classification: Red Wine
• Fermentation: Traditional warm-plunged fermentation with extended maceration
• Maturation: 17 months in predominantly new French oak
• Alcohol: 13.5%
• Sweetness: Dry
• Acidity TA: 5.5 g/L
• Acidity pH: 3.54
• Drinking Window: 2022–2048