2022 Te Mata Estate Cabernet/Merlot Coleraine

The 2022 Coleraine has a much more refined and mild-mannered bouquet compared to the 2021, veering more towards the Médoc with black fruit, graphite and tobacco scents that gently unfold in the glass. This is unsurprising given the far higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend (84%). The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannins, less body than other vintages but with more mineralité and classicism. A tad drier on the finish, yet there is no shortfall in fruit and it feels reassuringly tender from start to finish. Excellent. Tasted from a bottle shipped directly from the estate at the Coleraine vertical in London.

The 2022 Coleraine is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. On the nose, the wine shows its sweet creamy oak, a cavalcade of dark fruit and an array of spices. The wine is powdery and ultra fine, with a gravelly score of tannin woven through the finish. A spectacular wine, it's still looking so primary and young at this early stage. I note the total acidity is akin to the 2013 vintage, and it serves to add an extra layer of freshness to the finish—a little uptick to close, if you will. This is awesome. It gets better every time I taste it. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.

A very elegant young Coleraine with lovely aromas of oyster shell, lead pencil, sweet tobacco, black currant and moss. Very perfumed and expressive. Medium-bodied with fine tannins that are polished and energetic with some citrusy acidity underneath. Some dust to the texture. This is the second highest blend of cabernet sauvignon in the history of Coleraine with 84% cabernet sauvignon, 13% merlot and the rest cabernet franc.