New Zealand's First Growth Is On The Cusp Of Its 130th Anniversary And Just Getting Started At Hawke's Bay

 

 

Centuries ago, there lived on the eastern coast of New Zealand's North Island factions of villages belonging to different tribes. Here on the Heretaunga Plains were the Ngāti Kahungunu tribe, whilst along the coast of Hawke's Bay lived the Waimārama tribe, with the two tribes in constant threat of conflict. Something had to be done, and so at a gathering in Pakipaki it was thus decided that an armistice was to be made between the two tribes - a peace that would nevertheless fall on the shoulders of one Hinerākau.

Hinerākau was the daughter of the chief from the Ngāti Kahungunu tribe, and was said to be the most beautiful of all of the villages. As it so happens, she was also in love with Te Mata, the giant of a chief of the coastal tribes who too had long sought the affection of Hinerākau. 

"He ai nā te wahine, ka horahia te pō" ("The ways of a woman can sometimes overcome the effects of darkness") said a wise matriarch of the Ngāti Kahungunu tribe.

And so it was believed that should Hinerākau and Te Mata come together, that their respective tribes too would be unified.

 

Te Mata Peak.

 

Yet, the people of Ngāti Kahungunu was not too quick to give in - they had demanded that Te Mata prove his affection for Hinerākau through his accomplishment of what was in truth a series of impossible feats. Much as Hercules would in his famous 12 Labours, Te Mata would complete each task bravely and boldly. However, on his final task, he was required to bite his way through the hills between the plains and the coast so as to allow the people of the two tribes to finally be connected - unfortunately, this would spell the end of Te Mata who would go on to choke on the mountain, with his laying body forming the hills today known as Te Mata Peak.

Yet the lore does not stop there! The richness of the Maori's stories and culture tells us that even the sharp angular coastline of New Zealand's North Island's Hawke's Bay is the result of legend! Shaped like a traditional fishhook, it is said that this was in fact the work of the demigod Māui (who you might remember from the Disney movie Moana) who has used the hook to pull the North Island from the sea and to the South Island, forming what we know to be New Zealand. In Maori language, the special site is known as Te Matau-a-Māui and symbolises strength and good fortune.

 

 

And so it is here in the fishhook shaped coast of Hawke's Bay, east of New Zealand's North Island, where the story of the country's First Growth, Te Mata Estate, begins.

In the 1840's, Englishman John Chambers who was a trained blacksmith had emigrated over to Australia where his skills were highly sought after by goldminers. He would soon get married and move on to what really felt like his true passion - sheepfarming. After a particularly poor season plagued by drought, he would thus leave for New Zealand - and in particular, Hawke's Bay - where he was confident he could ply his trade more successfully. He would acquire land from the local tribes and over the next decades of his life, double down on sheepfarming and even achieved considerable success for his innovations in meat freezing, which in turn helped establish the Hawke's Bay frozen meat trade.

 

Te Mata's original Havelock Hills vineyards.

 

Nevertheless, it was really his son Bernard, who had studied and worked in France, saw potential in the Te Mata Estate and would thus kickstart what would become the earliest innings of New Zealand's winemaking endeavours. In 1895 - the official year of Te Mata Estate's founding - Bernard would begin to plant three vineyards, of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay (the earliest of the varietal in New Zealand) and Pinot Noir, on the north facing hills around the Havelock North part of the Te Mata Station's land. Bernard would also convert the estate's stables into a winery where he could ferment and mature his wines - these vineyards are still used today, and served as the first Te Mata Estate wines which would make their inaugural appearance in 1896.

The following years would see Te Mata's wines gain recognition, and with the help of local families and the Marist brotherhood, the wines were even recognised by the government's viticulturalist for its export potential. This allowed Te Mata to not only represent New Zealand winemaking as early as the 1900's, but to also clinch international awards and praise from expositions and exhibitions abroad. So successful was Te Mata that by 1913, it was New Zealand's wine producer!

 

The Buck and Morris families usher in Te Mata's modern era.

 

By 1919, due to the onset of Prohibition, Te Mata was sold by the Chambers family, and would change hands several times until its current ownership under the Buck and Morris families from 1974. Led by John Buck, a notable wine judge who was years in search of a great winemaking location, and Michael Morris, a highly successful accountant, the pair (with their families) would be convinced by Te Mata's location, heritage and a fateful tasting of a 1966 Hawke's Bay red (by Tom McDonald), and would thus decide that it was here that they would endeavour to make New Zealand's best wines, inspired by those of Bordeaux and Northern Rhone.

 

The Buck family home in the Coleraine Vineyard.

 

Under the Buck and Morris families, Te Mata's winery would be modernised and expanded, most notably featuring the iconic Art Deco and Spanish Mission architectural designs of famed Kiwi architect Sir Ian Athfield who would create the Buck family home nestled in the Coleraine Vineyard just across from the Te Mata estate. They would also expand Te Mata's vineyard parcels beyond the original ones at Havelock Hills (of 15 hectares), to also the Woodthorpe vineyard (75 hectares) and several more parcels at the Bridge Pa Triangle (30 hectares). Te Mata would also begin to see new varietals for first time (along with the removing of old varieties such as Palomino), with the likes of Viognier, Gamay Noir and Syrah, with the Viognier the first in New Zealand and the Syrah being only the second oldest of its varietal in the country.

 

New Zealand's first icon wine.

 

Yet perhaps most prominent of all of Te Mata's achievements might just come down to Buck's creation of the Coleraine, a Bordeaux-style red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, which made its debut in 1982. So named after Buck's ancestral home of Coleraine, Northern Ireland, the wine's initial release was a huge surprise given how impressive it was, firmly and conclusively proving that New Zealand too was capable of producing a world class Bordeaux-style red, whilst also holding on to the uniqueness of its Hawke's Bay terroir. Many have since viewed Te Mata's Coleraine as New Zealand's first iconic wine that's put the country on the global wine stage! Unsurprisingly, Te Mata's Coleraine has consistently set records as New Zealand's most expensive and collectible wine.

 

The Buck and Morris families continue to own and operate New Zealand's oldest continuously active winery.

  

By 1994, Te Mata would play a significant role in the regulatory establishment of the Te Mata Character Zone as the first protected wine area in New Zealand.

Today, the Te Mata Estate, New Zealand's oldest in continuous operation and also independent and family-owned, is led by the second generation (and increasingly so, the third generation!) of the Buck and Morris families, who have continued to further Te Mata's story. Vineyard sites have been expanded (with the Gimblett Gravels and Dartmoor vineyards) within the 235 hectare Te Mata Estate, with 135 hectares of vines planted, with the rest of the area designated for mixed use including honey-making, mushroom farming, flower beds, gardens and farmland. Te Mata has also been a pioneer of sustainability, being one of the first to be accredited under the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand program in 1995. Another notable activity that Te Mata is engaged in is the founding of the New Zealand Poet Laureate award, where local artists are celebrated for their longstanding contributions to New Zealand's literary scene - administered by the National Library of New Zealand in a ceremony held near the winery, each laureate receives support from the Te Mata Estate, with the first five laureates even receiving a tokotoko (a traditional Maori ceremonial walking stick) carved out of Te Mata's original wine press!

 

New Zealand's Poet Laureates with John Buck (leftmost, first row).

 

Taking a walk through Te Mata's vineyards, it's worth noting that the vines reside within a temperate maritime climate that offers strong sunlight (high UV light) with also low humidity, and as a result of it being flanked by long stretches of the Pacific Ocean coastline, the vineyards also enjoy temperature moderation from the cool ocean breeze. Hawke's Bay in fact sits on the same latitude south as Valencia, Spain, and Northern Sonoma in California, USA. In that sense, the special region experiences a sunny and warm climate with large diurnal swings that also sees cool nights (from 33 degree Celsius to 13 degree Celsius), that also constantly enjoys light winds, which altogether creates a long yet gradual growing season for the grapes to develop high flavour, aromatic and colour intensity, thicker red grape skins for structure and ageing, as well as phenolic balance and acidity, with a slight herbal lift. This is of course further aided by New Zealand's famously pristine and pollution-free atmosphere! It's also worth noting that it's not just grapes that grow well at Hawke's Bay, but that the region is in fact known as the fruit bowl of New Zealand, and is thus home to a wide variety of abundant fruit.

 

A tapestry of mesocliamtes.

 

Geologically, Hawke's Bay is varied with both slopes and plains (offering also different angles of sun exposure), with also a large diversity of soils that have been shaped over millennia by shifting river courses. The result of which is a collection of different mesoclimates that characterise Te Mata's vineyards (which are spread across 4 subregions of Hawke's Bay), from alluvial gravel to silt and sand, that in turn allow for the winery to access a rich palette composed of a variety of styles that can then be assembled to create complex yet balanced wines. Furthermore, the soils here are considerably conducive for great natural drainage and are characteristically similar to that of Bordeaux's Medoc.

"We are control freaks!" says Nick Buck, who today helms the estate as its Chief Executive.

To which Nick is referring to Te Mata's philosophy of total ownership from vineyards to wine cellars, vine to bottle - all of Te Mata's wines are made with 100% estate grown grapes, and every step of the way from vine growing to harvesting, vinification, ageing and bottling, is entirely done on-site and by Te Mata's team, which is a rarity considering its mid-sized scale and it's consistent top level quality. Yet this approach is of course deemed essential by Te Mata so that it is able to set its own standards without having to rely on anyone else.

 

 

Te Mata has always had a view that quality is grown, not made - which means that everything is determined by the quality of the grapes grown, and that beyond which there is only so much that can be done in the cellar. In particular, tannin structure is a major area of focus for Te Mata, which they emphasise the need of which to get it right in the vineyard through the ripening stage, in turning being the result of meticulous yield management, keeping yields well below the industry average. Most starkly, every vintage, Te Mata in fact sells more than 50% of its fruit to other wineries, keeping less than 50% of its estate grown fruit for its own wines, with little desire to substantially increase production, so as to preserve quality by ensuring sufficient fruit to select from, as well as ensuring that the team has enough bandwidth to keep an eye out for its wines.

Whilst each vineyard is key to Te Mata's winemaking, it is perhaps the original Havelock Hills Vineyards that strikes out as the first instance of a legally protected vineyard in New Zealand. It is thus at this vineyard (which faces the Te Mata Peak), with much of the vines of substantial age, where the fruit for Te Mata's legendary Coleraine comes from, along with that for the winery's Awatea and Elston wines.

 

 

Te Mata's philosophy of viewing their vineyards as a tapestry of mesoclimates was an active shift from its early days of winemaking when the winery had instead put out single vineyard wines. Today, the goal is instead to produce the best possible expression of wine from each unique vineyard parcel, thereby allowing the terroir to direct the style, whilst the winemaking team handles the blending. As such, each micro plot is fermented and aged separately, after which it is then blended and then bottled. Since 2012, the estate has focused on showcasing its wines in the form of varietal expressions, with 70% of its wines red. In 2021, the estate's winery underwent further expansion with a new state of the art red wine fermentation room that is said to be the most advanced of the country.

 

 

Te Mata has of certainly held its stead as its come a long way from being New Zealand's oldest continuously active winery, yet with almost 130 years under the belt, it's thoroughly clear that New Zealand's First Growth is just getting started.

 

Te Mata's range can be procured in Singapore from Fine Wine Merchant Grand Vin.

 

We were fortunate to have Nick Buck himself with us in Singapore – the Chief Executive of Te Mata Estate – for a masterclass made possible by wine importer, Grand Vin. Over the session, we tasted through a curated range of Te Mata’s wines, spanning from archetypal expressions of New Zealand’s classic styles to bottles that reflect Te Mata’s own quiet rebellion against convention. We started with a crisp, textbook Sauvignon Blanc, and moved into a barrel-fermented version that redefined what one expects from the variety – then onwards to fragrant Syrahs and, finally, to a red blend that is one of New Zealand’s most prized and collectible wines.

Let's get started!

Wine Review: Te Mata Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2023

100% Sauvignon Blanc

 

 

Aroma: Bright and expressive with freshness and tension. Opening with a rush of gooseberry and yellow guava before giving way to green apples, citrus zest, and freshly cut grass after the rain. There’s a subtle mineral edge that runs through, with flint, wet stone, and a faint touch of sea spray. 

Taste: Crisp and refreshing - a textbook NZ Sauvignon Blanc with good structure and nuance. It sits on the drier side but with those same gooseberry aromatics carrying through. Gooseberry and guava fruit is supported by a savoury herbal backbone that reminds me faintly of olive oil brushed over salted focaccia. The acidity is grippy and lively, keeping everything taut. There's also a mild umami undertone and a very slight bitterness flicker at the edges of the palate.

Finish: Clean and brisk, tapering off with a saline touch and a lingering echo of wet stones.

 

 

My Thoughts:

A rather clean and vivid and well-structured this Sauvignon Blanc is from start to finish.

It’s dry but not austere, with a balance that makes it feel thoughtfully made. The green fruit character is unmistakably classic New Zealand, but Te Mata seems to push it gently toward the more tropical side, not with sweetness, but with ripeness and restraint. 

Wine Review: Te Mata Estate Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc 2023

88% Sauvignon Blanc, 7% Sauvignon Gris, 5% Semillion

 

 

Aroma: It's immediately clear that this is a barrel-aged wine. It's rich and complex, and far removed from the typical style, with fruit depths wrapped in a gentle sweetness and subtle oak influence. Opens with rich, honeyed fruits that feel more concentrated and fleshy than usual: ripe yellow nectarines, white peaches and golden kiwifruit from New Zealand. 

There’s a thread of dried green herbs, dill and oregano come to mind, along with a faint savoury whiff reminiscent of breakfast ham, even slightly animalic in a way. 

Taste: Broad and textured, carrying through that richness from the nose. The minerality is well integrated with bright citrus tones. What stands out most though, are the toasty notes – warm buttered toast with a drizzle of honey. Beneath that, there’s pine nuts, peaches and a hint of lemongrass. The oak influence complements and cushions the fruit, lending some structure a bit more richness.

Finish: Long, toasty and slightly animalic. It holds onto that mineral core with a mild salinity, then closes on a dry, mouth-watering sourness with a savoury, umami impression – almost like clear chicken broth. Toasty, buttery notes return gently in the aftertaste.

 

My Thoughts:

For this wine, you really have to suspend everything you think you know about New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

As Nick explained during the tasting, Cape Crest is one of the few in its category that’s barrel-fermented, and you can immediately tell. On first nosing and tasting, I wouldn’t have guessed this was a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand at all – it's much richer and rounder.

It has the bright fruit and energy people love about New Zealand wines, but also the length, texture, and ageability of something more classically European. Nick explained that the goal is to create something that transcends the usual New-versus-Old-World divide. I think they've succeeded. This was my favourite of the whites we tasted.

 

Wine Review: Te Mata Estate Elston Chardonnay 2023

100% Chardonnay

 

 

Aroma: It comes across elegant and understated at first. Compared to the earlier wines which were brighter and more immediate, this one unfolds more slowly, showing a deeper and weightier character, and lets the richer elements come forward gradually. It begins gently floral, with hints of honeysuckle and lemon peel, before building into high-def aromas of white peaches, vanilla, toasted oak, and a light nuttiness. There’s also a faint trace of coastal salinity that lends freshness. The acidity here feels softer and rounder, less sharp.

Taste: Immediately juicy and expressive, less angular, with an inviting creamy, rounded texture. Opening with honeysuckle, ripe nectarines and golden apples. Some brightness from a touch of lemon, but the acidity remains soft and well-integrated, while the oak brings in gentle nuttiness, a light toastiness of buttered popcorn and smooth, creamy nougat notes that round everything out beautifully.

Finish: Soft and creamy, echoing notes of toast, brioche and baked apples. It tapers into a subtle warmth.

 

My Thoughts: 

This is a very very finely balanced Chardonnay. It's elegant and self-assured, leaning toward an Old World sensibility. It’s noticeably rounder and creamier in both texture and flavour, with acidity that’s mellowed into a gentle hum rather than a bright edge. Everything feels masterfully calibrated, from the integration of fruit to oak to minerality. 

 

Wine Review: Te Mata Estate Gamay Noir 2023

100% Gamay

 

Aroma: Nice level of complexity and liveliness for a lighter red. There’s an immediate burst of tart red fruits – cherries and crushed strawberries – layered with a faint earthy, terroir-driven character turning towards hints of sarsaparilla, cocoa powder, and a touch of ash, with a gentle spice or herbal lift. 

Taste: The palate surprises with its texture. It's velvety and full, despite the flavours being more delicate. Much of the same red fruits as on the nose: crushed strawberries and red cherries, joined by a light lemon sherbet brightness. There’s a subtle tobacco note that threads through, giving it a slightly savoury, matured tone. Balance is excellent with fruit, spice, and acidity all in step. Tannins that are smooth and present without ever taking over.

Finish: Soft, carried by gentle acidity and more of those red cherry notes. A touch of spice lingers in the background, leaving a clean, rounded red that fades slowly and pleasantly.

 

My Thoughts:

This feels like a modern expression of Gamay. It's bright, balanced and polished. It’s not a full-bodied red, but it carries some fulfilling substance and texture. On the nose, it feels grounded yet quite complex, already offering a bit more depth than one might expect from Gamay. On the palate, it's clearly an easy, everyday sipper. I can see why Nick mentioned it pairs well with seafood – especially richer dishes like tuna steaks (which his pescatarian wife often encourages him to eat). It’s approachable yet thoughtful, with just enough complexity to keep you reaching for another glass.

 

Wine Review: Te Mata Estate Alma Pinot Noir 2022

100% Pinot Noir

 

 

Aroma: Nicely floral and spiced with a faint exotic warmth. Opening with a generous mix of red and black fruits – red currants, dark cherries, blueberries and a touch of prunes. There’s a soft bouquet of potpourri that lifts the fruit, balanced by distinctly defined cardamom aromatics and a trace of agarwood. It’s both perfumed and restraint beneath its complexity.

Taste: Dense yet fresh. Opens echoing the interplay of red and dark fruits from the nose with red currants, cherries and plums leading the way. Supported by a backbone of fine but assertive tannins that lend structure without harshness. There’s nutmeg and clove spice woven through the fruit, along with a light savoury note that leans slightly meaty. 

Finish: Carries on with those soft aromatic spices and powdery florals, a hint of lavender emerging as the fruit tapers off. It’s long, fragrant and composed, ending with a quiet persistence of fruit and powdery florals.

 

My Thoughts:

This is a refined and elegant Pinot Noir that shows both gravitas and suppleness. 

The floral and spice character in the aroma translates so beautifully into a dense fruit-driven palate that’s underpinned by darker plum and wood spice complexity. The tannins are firm but polished, giving it real structure while keeping the texture fine. This one is clearly built with ageability in mind, yet it's already very drinkable.

 

Wine Review: Te Mata Estate Bullnose Syrah 2019

100% Syrah

 

 

Aroma: Immediately evocative with a lifted mix of florals and spice. Opens with cocoa powder dusted over potpourri and lavender, followed by milk powder, dried strawberries and other soft red fruits. There’s a prominent hit of cardamom and clove notes that sits perfectly within the dense fruit. 

Taste: Medium-bodied with a velvety, well-structured texture. It’s rich and generous but never heavy, with polished black and red fruits, cherries, plums and blueberries forming the core. Some of the floral notes from the nose return here, with lilac and dried violets adding lift, while a touch of cocoa adds warmth and roundness. Tannins are fine and seamless.

Finish: Softly acidic, with it’s long and graceful notes of dark fruits and gentle spices, and ending with a savoury trace of sage and cloves.

 

My Thoughts:

From the get go you can tell this is a very expressive, aromatic Syrah, one that leans toward composure rather than raw power. It's got a depth that unfolds in no hurry. It’s far from the overtly masculine, aggressive style of many Australian Shirazes.

The fruit feels polished and pure, the tannins fine-grained, and the spice beautifully integrated. It’s already showing lovely aromatic complexity now, but there’s no doubt it will continue to evolve gracefully over the years.

 

Wine Review: Te Mata Estate Coleraine 2010

58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc

 

 

Aroma: Deeply aromatic with a dense core of fresh berries, mostly dark and brambly. There’s an earthy undergrowth character alongside cigar box, liquorice, and a dusting of cinnamon. An intriguing bright vegetal note comes through adding lift to the darker tones, something like birds-eye chilli but without the heat. It feels mature but still really vibrant.

Taste: Dense and finely structured, everything feels cohesive and balanced, with fruit and structure working in tandem. Compared to the later vintage (which we will taste in a moment), this feels a little more restrained and finessed, with focus on dark fruits – cassis, blackberries and dark cherries – accented by liquorice, cedar spice, and some espresso grounds. It shows firm but really polished tannins. Mid-palate in, you get these lovely subtle tertiary notes, with a floral undertone of dark roses and violets. There is also a faint garrigue aroma. 

Finish: It’s long, savoury, and quietly persistent. Lingers on and on with warm spices and dark fruit (primarily cassis), gradually tapering into notes of dark chocolate and cedar. 

 

My Thoughts:

This vintage is a more elegant and refined take on Te Mata’s Bordeaux-style blend and it still captures all the hallmarks of a great Bordeaux-inspired blend. There's balance and restraint, with fine-grained tannins, freshness and subtly introduced tertiary notes. 

This structure and refinement makes it a great food wine, and it would would pair beautifully with lighter meats without overpowering the disk. 

 

Wine Review: Te Mata Estate Coleraine 2022

84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc

 

 

Aroma: Already impressively complex for such a young vintage. It opens with generous florals and herbs, led by sweet violets layered over depths of polished dark fruits– plums, cassis and blackberries. There’s a mild green, cooling lift of peppermint and some liquorice, balanced by notes of cedar, vanilla and a grounding earthiness. As it opens up, subtler tones of pencil shavings and cacao nibs come through.

Taste: The initial attack on the palate is brisk: lively acidity hits the tip and sides of the tongue before quickly softening into a dense, rounded and velvety texture. There’s a fine acidic spine that gives the wine tension, with a slightly drying pull from sour cherry skins. Though much of it is restrained at this age and waiting to unfold, the dark fruit concentration is already obvious. The tannins are firm yet finely grained, showing remarkable precision and polish. Everything feels quite tightly woven, with a very promising structure and fruit looking to unleash itself when tannins soften with age.

Finish: Rather classic Bordeaux-styled, carrying on with dark fruit and hints of bay leaf, tapering into lingering touches of tobacco box, pencil shavings and graphite. The tannic grip remains persistent but soft and with a bit of air, some faint notes of violet start to re-emerge.

 

My Thoughts:

For such a young Coleraine, this already feels exceptional. The aromatics are layered, the fruit is deep and the tannins, though abundant, are strikingly refined! There’s a clear sense of latent power and coiled energy beneath its polish. The acidity and structure give it tension that will sustain it for at least another decade, possibly more. It’s still holding much of its potential in reserve, but the balance and definition make it a compelling wine even now. And a truly rewarding one for those patient enough to wait.

 

Te Mata's range of New Zealand wines are now available in Singapore from Fine Wine Merchant Grand Vin. 

@CharsiuCharlie