Kumeu River continues to set the bar for white wine in New Zealand. The range of Chardonnays produced here has beaten the best wines from around the world time and again, yet the prices remain incredibly low. If these wines came from the Côte d’Or (and if you tasted them blind you’d likely think they did), they would be three times the price.
The 2023s are as impressive as ever in what was a challenging year, one of the lowest yielding vintages for Kumeu River in recent history. The wines are bright, open and moreish: alcohols are modest and the fruit characterful and intense. These are ethereal wines that tingle with bright acidity and energy, and - perhaps Hunting Hill aside - will drink well in their youth, though they have the amplitude to age.
The Estate Chardonnay remains one of the best value white wines in the world - the 2023 open-knit and ideal for drinking over the coming 5+ years and with just 12.5% alcohol, it is fine-boned and moreish. Rays Road continues to improve under the Brajkovich's stewardship and the three three single vineyards from Auckland are the essence of themselves, the difficult growing season revealing their qualities. Coddington has surprising ripeness yet harmonious vibrancy, Hunting Hill is its ever-tightly-coiled self and the Maté's delivers power and energy at once.
Herewith some of the critics’ comments:
“light and lacy—hints of green apple, nectarine and a little tangerine—with taut acidity that vibrates through the ethereally weighted fruit. It's a light iteration of this wine and lovely for it.” Erin Larkin of the Wine Advocate on the Estate Chardonnay
“The complexity and flintiness are so enticing, with sliced apples, lemons, minerals and gunpowder. Full-bodied, dense and intense, with subtle brioche, cooked lemon and apple notes. Racy and steely but with richness underneath. Some lemongrass. So complex.” James Suckling on the Coddington Chardonnay
“Very ‘settled’, complex nose. Savoury finish and probably the most burgundian of these Chardonnays.” Jancis Robinson MW on the Hunting Hill Chardonnay
“Five star wine … More reticent than the other wines on the nose but the richness and density come through on the palate. The Mendoza clone fruit really shines this year, the small berries giving and intensity and concentration.. . Enticing and fine boned with a surprisingly lengthy finish” Jane Skelton MW of Inside Burgundy on the Matés Vineyard.
The wines are lying with us and available for immediate delivery. No large formats were bottled but we do have limited availabilty of rare, and rather useful, half bottles. These are exclusive to Farr Vintners.
