Te Mata Estate

Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc, Hawke’s Bay — 2022

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  • Introduction

    • WINERY Established in 1896, Te Mata Estate remains family owned, producing internationally recognized wines exclusively from its Hawke’s Bay vineyards, located on New Zealand’s North Island. Te Mata Estate is home to New Zealand’s oldest vineyards and wine cellars with over 125 years of continuous wine production.

      WINE Since 1984, Cape Crest has developed an international following for it’s unique expression of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Barrel fermented, with a touch of Semillon and Sauvignon Gris, it is concentrated and compex with toast, citrus blossom, pear and stonefruit characters. Cape Crest and its gannet symbol refer to Cape Kidnappers, the southern point of Hawke Bay, home to the world’s largest mainland colony of these remarkable marine birds.

  • Vineyard Profile

    • The fully ripe grapes for Cape Crest ’22 were hand harvested from individual plots within Te Mata Estate’s vineyards between February 28 and March 13, 2022.

    • Appellation: Hawke's Bay
    • Location: New Zealand
    • Cultivation: Sustainable
    • Vine Age: 30+ year old vines
    • Soil: Silty loam top soil with red gravel and iron deposits underneath; well draining
  • Vintage Report

    • A memorable, incredibly early vintage. A challenging harvest with two large rain events leading to some early picks from fragile crops. It resulted in wines with great varietal expression, restraint, tension, power, and length.

  • Vinification

    • The separate parcels were each destemmed and lightly crushed, then cooled before a brief period of skin contact. Following pressing and cold-settling, they were run to a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barrels for fermentation. The resulting wines were aged on lees, with regular stirring, for a further 11 months before bottling in February 2023.

    • Aging: 30% new oak
    • Barrel Aging: 11 months on lees, with regular stirring, in a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barrels
  • Technical Information

    • Varietal Composition: 88% sauvignon blanc, 7% sauvignon gris and 5% semillon
    • Alcohol: 13%
    • TA: 7.0 g/L
    • p H: 3.32
  • Tasting Notes

    • Radiating a mesmerizing white-gold hue adorned with shimmering green lights, Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc ’22 bursts with its signature perfume – vibrant concentrated nectarine, grapefruit and lime zest with lemongrass, guava and subtle toast notes. The palate broadens into ripe stone fruit and herbal seasoning, developing remarkable richness. A balanced weight and crystalline acidity add to the immense fruit concentration and long savory, saline finish. An embodiment of excellence.

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Reviews

  • Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc, Hawke’s Bay — 2022 – Wine Advocate – 95 Points

    "The 2022 Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc is composed and tight. It's such a pretty wine. In terms of its ilk, it aligns perhaps with the 2011. I like it so much. This is an elegant and quiet iteration of this wine, with flowering herbs, crushed shells, chalk, a hint of aniseed and crushed nuts. It's a gorgeous wine with a long future in front of it. Interestingly, while I believe this will age gracefully, it is such a controlled and cool wine now that I would suggest that drinking it at any interval would allow it to show its pedigree. Super."

  • Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc, Hawke’s Bay — 2022 – Vinous – 91 Points

    "The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Cape Crest is a generous, textural expression with a slightly saline edge on the mouthwatering finish. Well-integrated vanillins combine with blackcurrant, nectarine, red grapefruit and a hint of gooseberry flavors to provide a rarely seen side of Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc – no doubt the addition of Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris play their part. This is attractive and judiciously made."

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