Te Mata Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc 2024

95 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

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.

95 POINTS

Dave Brookes - Halliday Wine Companion

Te Mata's version of white Bordeaux, a blend of 85/9/5% sauvignon blanc/semillon/sauvignon gris, pressed to barrel for 11 months on French oak, 35% new. Pale with a green flash and fruit tones of grapefruit, lime and guava, a curl of struck flint and hints of clover blossom, crème fraîche, cut fennel bulb, white flowers, currants, daubs of cream and a touch of vanilla. A lovely tension, too, with a fine saline acidity and a long, stony, crisp finish. Gorgeous drinking.

94 POINTS

Gary Walsh - The Wine Front

This is 86% Sauvignon Blanc, 9% Semillon, and 5% Sauvignon Gris with about 32% new oak. These wines age very well, as evidenced by a recent vertical tasting HERE. Juicy gooseberry, guava and pink grapefruit, a herbal edge lends a slight thistle grassiness, floral notes, light spice. It’s lively, great texture here, some chalky things, a little gloss, blackcurrant, ripe grapefruit acid with a spicy finish of excellent length, and I like that light grip on exit. This is yet another very good release.

93 POINTS

Rebecca Gibb MW - Vinous

The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc Cape Crest is full of energy. A steely rod of grapefruit-like acidity cuts through round curves derived from barrel fermentation in 30% new oak. Good concentration nods to low yields. Young and zesty with primary flavours of white grapefruit, nectarine flesh, boxwood and subtle vanilla oak, the 2024 should evolve and round out further with time in bottle over the next decade. You could also drink it now for its vibrancy, if you must.