| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | New Zealand > Auckland |
| Colour | White |
| Type | Still |
The 2025 Hunting Hill Chardonnay is ripe and thunderous, with salted peach, walnuts and stewed apple notes. This is flavorsome, opulent and impressively distinct from the Maté's tasted alongside—the vineyards are a stone's throw from each other. This is nettle-y, laden with apple skins and driven by fruit intensity. The acidity remains a concentrated and powerful player on stage here, as with all the Kumeu River cuvées. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink 2026 - 2040
A long, dry vintage with the hottest days 28 degrees celsius. Similar to 2006, the first vintage, in terms of weather. Pale lemon in the glass, there is an intense fragrance, with polished lemon and lime fruit on the nose. There's an almost lemongrass quality here, matching nicely with subtle, smoky wood. The palate is steely in acidity in keeping with the house style, led by cool fruit at the core and flecks of reductive gun smoke. High in pithy phenolic texture as well as acidity, this finishes brilliantly, opening up the fruit with a deft balance and high purity. A wine of real integrity, with carefully judged wood smoke just lingering on the finish.
Floral and fragrant, with white blossoms and a touch of white pepper on top, joined by crushed stones and a hint of raw almond. Medium- to full-bodied and very textural, showing firmness, staying tense and vertical, with a beautiful interplay between the driving acidity and distinct minerality. Finishes stony and citrusy. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
This was a fabulous vintage, with a long, dry summer. The hottest day was 28 C, and the fruit was very clean. Concentrated, fine, delicate and linear with a subtle mealy edge to the pristine citrus fruit. Primary and youthful, with some juiciness and great poise. Crystalline and fine.
The second most popular vintage, with 2010, with the tasters. See this earlier tasting note. Lovely vintage very similar to the first-ever, 2006. The hottest day was only 28 °C. Clean, ripe fruit.
Opulent citrus nose. Real grip on the palate. Lemon sorbet! Very pristine and still quite tight although you could drink it now at a pinch. Quite bracing at this stage though. Jancis Robinson Score 17.5++
Always the tightest wine at this stage, Hunting Hill's piercing precision is on show with notes of fresh lime juice, lime pith, steely struck match and citrus blossom. The palate has real acid cut, driving the fruit in a lifted, refreshing citrus tone. The texture is brilliant, chalky yet not narrow, this penetrating and tightly coiled wine needs a couple of years in bottle, but it will be an absolute knockout once ready. Lightly smoky with more struck match on the finish, this is a very impressive, youthful wine.
The finest and most burgundian of Kumeu River Chardonnays. From a 3.37-ha vineyard replanted in 2001. 25% new French oak. Although the acidity is more obvious in this wine than its stablemates, it always hits reaches 14% alcohol even though it is the first to be picked because the vineyard is so healthy and has no virus unlike, for example, Maté’s, which is the last to be picked because of virus.
Much more restrained nose and more floral/ferny than fruity. Not exactly savoury but with very finely textured citrus juice and peel notes. Sappy, juicy, lip-smacking on the palate but high-toned on the nose. Definitely not sweet. Dry finish. Long, still-quite-chewy finish. 2028-2040.
