The One Coleraine You Simply Cannot Miss

We have spoken before in these august pages about ‘The One’; that freakishly good vintage that came around only because the weather conditions played out flawlessly throughout Hawkes Bay in 2021. There was the perfect amount of rain at exactly the right time with ideal temperatures and just the right amount of water stress to encourage flavour and reduce volume. 

Well, now it is time to investigate how that unique set of circumstances of The One affected an individual wine of the vintage, and this is not just any wine – it is arguably New Zealand’s greatest red!

Te Mata Coleraine

Everyone knows how good Coleraine is – it wowed the international wine community right from the get-go back in its first production in 1982. The ultimate statement of Te Mata’s multi-vineyard, sub-regional blending philosophy, Coleraine represents the natural harmony between cabernet vines and the soil and climate of Hawke’s Bay. Cabernet sauvignon dominant, supported by merlot and cabernet franc, Coleraine is recognised as one of the world’s great wines and a key chapter in the ever-growing New Zealand fine wine story. And that was all before the 2021 vintage!

Coleraine ’21 – The One

2021 was a blue bird; an unmatched growing season which led to the earliest ever bud break on Te Mata Estate’s vineyards that, in turn, led to the earliest ever harvest. This warm, dry, and historic vintage yielded an unequalled harvest with an abundance of very small berries providing great concentration, and producing wines of exceptional purity, power, tension and persistence.

This remarkable vintage has turned the Coleraine ’21 into an apex cabernet, a singular wine that could only result from the very best growing years. Coleraine ’21 stands alone – a wine of unique provenance even by Te Mata Estate’s exacting standards.

As always, the proof is in the tasting, although the deep crimson colour of Coleraine ’21 – edged in royal purple – is the first clue to this wine’s exceptional character! Pure Hawke’s Bay cabernet aromatics leap from the glass – wild blackberry, blackcurrant, thyme, and cedar, all interwoven with that signature Coleraine perfume of fresh roses.

The palate precisely balances richness with vibrant energy; modern and varietally expressive, with cassis, raspberry, mocha, spice, and a distinctive minerality that is uniquely 2021. The fruit ripeness is so succulent, it cloaks those profound, chiselled tannins that carry the palate on endlessly. With perfume, power, finesse, and length this is an absolute original. 

The Reviews

The critics agree with Huon Hooke from The Real Review noting that the Coleraine ’21’s bouquet ‘shows similar mulberry, blackcurrant and raspberry fruit aromas as the Awatea but the wine is more concentrated all-round and shows a little more oak (65% new). There are violet notes and a sprinkle of spices including nutmeg too. The tannins are more persuasive and mouth-coating also, and the length is prodigious. A smashing cabernet blend, and a top vintage for this wine.’

Gary Walsh from The Wine Front gave the Coleraine ’21 97+ points noting it was ‘light but so dense. There’s a fresh raspberry juiciness here too, and an extra dimension of tension and energy. All the graphite and presence. Incredible wine.’

No time to waste

One thing that everyone can agree on is that The One vintage has pushed Coleraine into uncharted territory, which is amazing – and a little bit scary – considering its coveted position as already one of the world’s great wines. But will it last? Unless the weather gods are unbelievably kind to us, probably not. Therefore it is best to regard the ’21 Coleraine as an opportunity, a chance to try a wine so good it’s likely it will not be seen again. So there is no time to delay, The One’s weather pattern concentrated flavour so much the volume was sacrificed so there is a lot less Coleraine ’21 available than there was in previous years. This means that Coleraine ’21 is guaranteed to sell out swiftly so make sure you don’t miss out on yours – as it could be a long, long, long time before we see anything so good again.