Te Mata Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc

2023: With a brilliant pale straw colour, Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc 2023 entices with a captivating bouquet of lime zest, grapefruit, and a hint of cream soda. On the palate the wine surges with vibrancy and concentration showing gooseberry, yellow currants, and tropical fruit, all seamlessly interwoven with lingering notes of smoke, flint, and cedar. Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a layered, precise, and focused wine, without any compromise in its characteristic complexity, refreshing appeal and mouthwatering finish.

Wine Advocate 95: The 2023 Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc comprises 97% Sauvignon Blanc, 2% Semillon and 1% Sauvignon Gris. Aromatically, the wine leads with pressed linen and golden delicious apples, white pepper, shaved fennel and a profusion of preserved citrus rind. Texturally, the wine has grip and shape, and while the acidity is brisk in the mouth, it is enveloped with ripe fruit and is tense. The four clones of Sauvignon Blanc (MS, 316, 317 and 905) bring genetic diversity and fruit profile, which elevates the wine into the echelon of the great. This is a 360-degree drinking experience here, driven by phenolic drive, acid and an abundance of fruit. Excellent. Barrel ferment and lees work emphasizes all of the above. The 905 clone plays a role in the texture of the wine here. This is one of the best Cape Crest releases—and from a challenging season too. The wine goes a long way toward proving the theory that great producers prevail no matter the season, and a large part of that is the extensive work conducted in the vineyard. The years of research and development into vine and soil health, cover crops and canopy management has come home to roost in this season. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

James Suckling 94: This shows complex, subtle aromas of pears, kiwis and creme brulee as well as hints of fresh herbs. Coriander and fennel leaves. Medium- to full-bodied, this is creamy yet tangy with sliced and dried lemons and a long, flavorful finish. Excellent density but not at all heavy. Fermented and aged in barrel. 11 months on gross lees. 97% sauvignon blanc, 2% semillon and 1% sauvignon gris. Intense finish. Drink now. Screw cap.

Wine Enthusiast 93: Made with a touch of Semillon and Sauvignon Gris, this oak-aged Sauvy B is made more in the white Bordeaux vein than the Marlborough one. The nose shows flinty, toasty reductive notes. But the winemaking technique can't fully obscure SB's bombastic nature. There's lemon-lime, pink grapefruit and pineapple with seashells, fennel fronds and summer herbs on the fringes; lovely richness and concentration on the palate, with salted grapefruit acidity and structure to make this a food friendly drop now, but one with the potential to age for several more years.

Wine Advocate 95: The 2024 Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc is composed of 86% Sauvignon Blanc, 9% Sémillon and 5% Pinot Gris. It is a powerful wine that is layered with texture, spice and toast yet shaped by precision rather than weight alone. The season was windy and intermittently cool, resulting in yields that were down approximately 35% across all varieties. The bunches and berries were notably small, concentrating the flavor and acidity. On the nose, the wine offers white chocolate, quinine, lime zest, white flowers, jasmine, fennel and aniseed. The palate is expansive yet controlled, with a saline, mouthwatering line of acidity that carries long through the finish. The press cut was taken earlier in the cycle to preserve/protect the natural acidity and freshness. The wine was fermented from approximately 550 to 600 liters of free-run juice, with no malolactic fermentation employed. It matured for 11 months in French oak, 30% of which was new. This marks the second year of the estate’s new-barrel program, with 35% second-use oak and the balance third- and fourth-fill barrels. The result is a wine of authority and detail: it is concentrated, architectural and deeply satisfying. This is excellent.

James Suckling 94: Aromas of jasmine, Meyer lemons, green melon and lavender. So fresh and rather delicate. Medium-bodied with crunchy fruit and tangy acidity. Crisp and vivid. 86% sauvignon blanc, 9% semillion and 5% sauvignon gris. Drink or hold. Screw cap.