2022 Te Mata Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc

96 POINTS

Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

Expressing precision and clarity, as well as power and complexity, the wine shows crunchy apple, mango, lemon pith and cedar characters on the nose with a hint of oatmeal nuance. The palate delivers terrific weight and persistency, wonderfully complemented by fine flow and saline texture, finishing with a great line and length. A stunning expression, destined to mature magnificently. www.temata.co.nz.

95 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Wine Advocate

The 2022 Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc is composed of 88% Sauvignon Blanc, 7% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon and is sealed under screw cap; the shift occurred in 2020 after 16 years of trial work on closures in the winery. On the nose, in its inchoate youth here, we see layers of lemongrass, tatami mat, white pineapple husk, green apple skins, white pepper, alyssum and star anise. In the mouth, the wine is balanced and harmonious already—this is crucial for us to understand how it could be such a composed wine in the future. Gorgeous expression. 13.3% alcohol, pH is 3.3, with seven grams per liter total acidity.

95 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Wine Advocate

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. The wines are better at the younger end of this vertical than the beginning, which is a great thing for the winery—and an even better thing for us, the drinkers.

94 POINTS

Gary Walsh - The Wine Front

Pete Cowley was one of the greats who should be included in the pantheon of ‘wonderful people who made top shelf wine’, and his baton was handed over to Phil Brodie a few years ago, who’s kind of cut from the same cloth. I know we judge what’s in the glass, and that’s what matters, but still, it kind of nice when the people who put the wine into your glass are exceptional humans who combine talent with humility. If only I could say the same for myself! 88% sauvignon blanc, 7% sauvignon gris and 5% semillon. Cape gooseberry, guava, cream, spice, cut grass and snow pea. Medium-bodied, grapefruit segments, a little thistle and spice, glossy with a firm cut of juicy acidity and subtle flinty texture, aniseed and perfume, pineapple and creamed rice richness, with a pithy finish of excellent length. It has bite, zest and tang, glide and viscosity, and well, it’s Cape Crest writ large. Excellent.