Te Mata Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc

Since 1984, Cape Crest has developed an international following for its unique expression of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Barrel fermented, with a touch of Semillon and Sauvignon Gris, it is concentrated and complex 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.

Winemaker notes

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.

2022

Wine Advocate 95: 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.

Vinous 91: 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.

2023

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.