Te Mata Estate

Te Mata Estate is one of the Hawke's Bay's most famous wine producers. It makes a range of wines from classic varieties like Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, but is best known for its Bordeaux blends, and in particular Coleraine, which is one of New Zealand's most collectable wines.

The estate was originally part of the Te Mata Station, a landholding established by John Chambers in 1854. In the 1890s, his son Bernard began planting the north-facing hills around the estate to vine and converted the stables to a winery. Te Mata, named for the neighboring Te Mata Peak, was established in 1896.

Te Mata has vineyards throughout the Hawke's Bay. The estate itself is in the Havelock Hills, and has around 15 hectares (37 acres) worth of vines across five vineyards. These are on north-facing slopes with free-draining alluvial soils, and are well-suited to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The Coleraine is made from grapes from the best plots of these vineyards. In addition to this, Te Mata also has vineyards in the Woodthorpe Terraces sub-region and in the Bridge Pa Triangle.

Coleraine is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend, with a proportion of Merlot and Cabernet Franc that changes depending on the vintage conditions. It is aged for up to 20 months in predominantly new French oak. There are several other top wines in the portfolio, including the Bullnose Syrah, the Elston Chardonnay, and the Awatea, a Bordeaux blend which is essentially the second wine to Coleraine.

Te Mata also has a range of more accessible varietal and blended wines made from Syrah, Merlot Gamay Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, all sourced from estate vineyards.