ESTABLISHED IN 1896, TE MATA ESTATE REMAINS FAMILY OWNED, PRODUCING INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED WINES EXCLUSIVELY FROM ITS HISTORIC, HAWKE’S BAY VINEYARDS.
Estate Grown. Estate Bottled. Estate Wines.
BULLNOSE 2014
FIRST PLANTED IN 1990, THE BULLNOSE VINEYARD’S OLD RED IRON SOILS PRODUCE TE MATA ESTATE’S FINEST SYRAH. THIS WINE HAS DISTINCT FLORAL AND SPICE AROMAS, RICH FLAVOURS OF PLUM, RASPBERRY AND BLACKBERRY, WITH A VELVETY TEXTURE.
ORIGIN
Vineyard partners Michael Morris and Peter Cowley named Bullnose after an early Morris Cowley car, nicknamed Bullnose due to its distinctive radiator. The bull emblem that appears on the label is drawn from the car’s radiator crest.
VINEYARDS
Separate parcels of fully ripened syrah grapes were hand-harvested from Te Mata Estate’s Bullnose and Isosceles Vineyards between 7 and 11 April 2015.
WINEMAKING
The individual lots were each destemmed and given a traditional warm-plunged fermentation. The resulting wines underwent extended maceration on skins before pressing and then a secondary malolactic fermentation. The separate wines were then run to a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barriques for 15 months’ maturation. During this time, they were regularly topped and racked, before egg-white fining, blending and then bottling in September 2016.
TASTING NOTE
Classic Bullnose aromas jump from the glass. A deep, impressive magenta, Bullnose ’15 lifts sumptuous berry-fruit across dark star anise, violets and allspice.
Ripe, velvet tannins run the length of a palate that ashes with raspberry, espresso and cherry. Fresh, elegant, precise and gorgeously drinkable.
CELLARING POTENTIAL
Bullnose ’15 is closed with a natural cork, allowing continued evolution in bottle for eight years from harvest.
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS AT BOTTLING
pH: 3.43
Total acidity as tartaric: 5.9g/l
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: Dry