TE MATA ESTATE SHOWCASE 2010 Tuesday 2 March 2010 by Raymond Chan
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TE MATA ESTATE SHOWCASE 2010 Tuesday 2 March 2010 By Raymond Chan The Te Mata Showcase is one of the most important wine tasting events on the wine lover’s calendar. Conducted at the start of each year, it serves as a benchmark for looking at the rest of the country’s wines that year, as the Te Mata wines figure among the country’s best. Te Mata Estate has enjoyed a wonderful run of fine vintages and the releases over the last decade have been at the top of their game. This year’s release comprised the 2009 whites and 2008 reds, and with the quality of both years, the wines epitomise what Te Mata strives to achieve consistently. Proprietor Nicholas Buck and Technical Director Peter Cowley yet again presented a fine line-up of wines in Wellington. A new format saw the white wines shown in an informal tasting and the reds in a tutored format. This year’s event was special, as the new 2008 reds were tasted alongside the 1998 reds, wine from a uniquely hot and dry year. Few attendees had tasted wines with this span of age before. Following are my notes on the wines tasted: Flight One: The White Wines Served as a ‘mystery’ wine on arrival, the Te Mata ‘Cape Crest’ Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (18.0+/20), 13.5% alc, 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 13% Semillon and 2% Sauvignon Gris, showed a straw gold colour with a full, soft and rich bouquet of ripe herby notes and some smoky elements from the full barrel ferment and 8 months in 30% new oak. With some bottle age, the fruit expression had mellowed and the textures have become quite harmonious. Full-bodied, there was excellent acidity, and this should keep well for another 4-5 years. Thought to be remarkably fresh by the attendees, this demonstrated the aging ability of the Sauvignon variety under this label. The first of the new release whites was the Te Mata ‘Cape Crest’ Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (19.0+/20), at 13.5% and a blend of 86% Sauvignon Blanc, 9% Semillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris, fermented and matured 8 months in new and seasoned oak, was very pale staw in colour showing its youth. Beautifully fresh with exotic nectarine, herb and minerally aromas along with a smoky oak touch, this was exquisitely fine on palate with intensity, depth and tightly bound fruit flavours and fresh acid crispness. ‘Cape Crest’ always looks fine on release and this will age 5-8 years. The second release under this label, the Te Mata ‘Zara’Viognier 2009 (18.5-/20), at 14.0% alc, this was mainly fermented in seasoned oak with lees stirring, the lesser portion tank fermented. Pale straw with green hues, this was an aromatic beauty with exceptional fragrance of florals, musk and apricots with honey nuances. Quite elegantly sized on palate, this was fine-textured and fresh, in fact still a little shy in expression. This opened up in the glass. Drink over the next 4-5 years. Benefitting from some time in bottle now, the Te Mata ‘Elston’ Chardonnay 2008 (19.0-/20) at 13.5% alc, was made from Mendoza fruit totally barrel-fermented and aged in new and seasoned oak for 9 months with 100% MLF. Light golden straw in colour, this showed a full, intense nose of smoky, spicy, oak tinged nectarine and grapefruit-like fruit with mealy, nutty aromas. Full-bodied, yet with class and style, this had superb concentration of rich, stonefruit and mealy flavours on a palate of fine textures and excellent acidity for balance. This evolved in glass revealing layers of flavour. Will develop over the next 5+ years. Flight Two: The Red Wines This structured presentation showed the new release 2008s alongside the same wine from 10 years previous. 2008 was a warm, dry and favourable vintage with the fruit harvested early. 1998 was a drought vintage with the potential of fruit dehydration, with the Cabernet Sauvignon performing superbly. The wines were served in pairs. First was the Te Mata ‘Bullnose’ Syrah 1998 (18.5-/20) at 13.5% alc, aged for 15 months in new and 1 y.o. French barriques. Now fully mature with deep garnet red colour with mahogany hues, this had a dense nose of savoury meats, leather with earth and animal complexities. Full-flavoured yet quite elegant and lively, by way of its excellent acidity, this had concentration and depth and a fine tannin backbone which carried through to the long finish. The Te Mata ‘Bullnose’ Syrah 2008 (18.0+/20) at 13.5% alc, was aged 16 months in new and seasoned French oak barriques. Deep purple hued ruby red in colour, this had a sensational nose with finely fragrant florals, spices, pepper and black fruits, quite piercing in intensity. On palate, this was quite elegant, more gentle and plush, giving a real accessibility. Excellent fine textures, supple and with a lusciousness. A crowd pleaser that will keep 6-8+ years easily. The Te Mata ‘Awatea’ Cabernet/Merlot 1998 (17.5-/20) at 13.5% alc, was 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, aged 18 months in French barriques. Dark black red, impenetrable in colour, this had a bouquet of dusty, earth and leather with cedar, quite secondary now. The palate was full, firm and structured, quite dry and the fruit behind the extraction. Still showing body and grip, this will hold in a more austere style for some time yet. This was enjoyed by many tasters. The Te Mata ‘Awatea’ Cabernets/Merlot 2008 (18.5-/20), at 13.5% alc, was 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot, aged 20 months in new and seasoned French oak. Dark, deep, black-red with purple hues, this was elegant on nose with lovely fragrant blackcurrant aromas, quite pure in expression and supported by subtle oak. An elegant wine in mouthfeel, this was still tight with fine-grained tannins behind pure blackcurrant varietal fruit, beautifully knit and balanced. This will cellar well over the next 7-10 years. An already legendary wine, and again showing superbly, the Te Mata ‘Coleraine’ Cabernet/Merlot 1998 (19.0+/20) at 13.5% alc, was 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, aged 20 months in French oak. Black red with mahogany hues on edge, this had a most complex, blossoming nose of savoury secondary complexities, almost ethereal in nature. On palate, the fine- grained tannin structure was the feature. The rich flavours of savoury fruits, leather and cedar were more than sufficient to speak of the ability of this wine to age as with classic Bordeaux wines. Another decade of cellaring ahead easily. The Te Mata ‘Coleraine’ 2008 (19.0/20), at 13.5% alc, was 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc, aged 20 months in predominantly new French oak barrels. Very dark hued black-red with purple hues, this has a wonderful purity of fragrant blackcurrant fruit expression on the nose which is reflected on the refined and elegantly structured palate. Tightly bound still, this nevertheless exudes beauty and class. The balance of the wine is quite inspirational and a model to aim for in a Bordeaux-styled wine. Everything is in place, and this should develop over the next 12-15 years easily. The hallmark of the red wines from the 2008 vintage is their aromatic purity and beauty. The wines are lighter and more elegant than those of the previous three years, and will be more approachable, but they will be as enjoyable as the concentrated, well-structured 2007s, the exotically aromatic 2006s and powerful, densely rich 2005s. What a wealth of fine drinking Te Mata have crafted over the past few years. .