Te Mata's deco-themed offices

Te Mata winemaker, Peter Cowley, dropped around with samples of their latest release wines. It’s easy to become dazzled by flagship Coleraine and ignore some of the other wonderful and often innovative wines in their range. Te Mata quietly makes a number of truly outstanding wines, relying on word-of-mouth and critic endorsements rather than wine shows for promotion.

Quality appears to be as high as ever for most wines in their range and yet the price of some have been cut back in the last year or two. Elston Chardonnay has throttled back to a competitive $33 ($29.90 at Glengarry) from $38 while Woodthorpe Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Gamay Noir, Syrah and Merlot Cabernet offer great value at around $21 (some are available at $17.90 through Glengarry). Glengarry are offering Coleraine for $64.90 by the bottle or $59.90 by the case in an advert today that shows the RRP as $80 (the winery are selling it for $69 by the bottle or $62 by the case) while Caro Wines have it for $59.99 per six bottles (may be a mixed half-dozen).

I’ve listed all releases, with scores, on my database but here are a few brief comments on some of the highlights:

Cape Crest 2009 Sauvignon Blanc $27 (diam) Gently aromatic wine with a wonderful texture and mouth-feel that reminds me of a good white Bordeaux. Oak is evident but it works well. Classy dry white wine that’s a snip at Glengarry’s price of $23.90 (if I seem to be favouring Glengarry it’s because their prices are listed as the lowest on www.wine-searcher.com ).

Woodthorpe 2008 Chardonnay $21 (screwcap) This is a classy little Chardonnay at a great price ($17.90 at Glengarry). Attractive grapefruit and mealy lees flavours with a seasoning of spicy oak.

Elston 2008 Chardonnay $33 (diam) A burgundy look-alike with mineral, grapefruit/stone fruit and toasty oak characters. Restrained, elegant wine with subtle power.

Zara 2009 Viognier$27 (diam) Te Mata pioneered Viognier in this country. Rich, fleshy wine in a totally dry style (many are not dry) with layers of apricot, lees and subtle spicy oak flavours.

Woodthorpe 2008 Syrah $21 (screwcap) Includes 5% Viognier. Deliciously spicy, supple easy-drinking red with lovely berry and floral flavours. Cracker value$17.90 at Glengarry).

Awatea 2008 Cabernets/Merlot $33 (cork) Dense wine with plump, sweet fruit flavours including berry, plum, floral, tobacco and bay leaf. Very approachable wine offering excellent value$29.90 at Glengary).

Coleraine 2008 ($ see above) Has there ever been a more deliciously approachable Coleraine? This many not appeal to the purists, who should spend their money on the more typical 2007, but I love it the wine’s bright, berry fruit, floral and spice flavours. Supple, elegant wine that will age well despite it’s present approachable nature.

Te Mata's talented winemaker Peter Cowley

Tags: Te Mata

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 10:08 am and is filed under Hawke's Bay, Te Mata. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.