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Hunting Hill Chardonnay, Kumeu River 2007

RegionNew Zealand
Subregion New Zealand > Auckland
ColourWhite
TypeStill
Grape VarietyChardonnay

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Tasting Notes

This wine presents intense lemon curd and warm lime notes with some creaminess and touches of honeysuckle and coriander seed plus some meal. Very tight-knit with crisp acid and a concentrated citrusy character, it has a nice silky texture and there's some toastiness in the long finish.

94
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, November 2010

Ripe apricots and nectarines the nose has depth of flavour a rich mix of fruits the start of the palate is fleshy and sweet with at the back herbal freshness. The layers of flavour the mix of limes, herbs and tangerines give complexity a balance of rich fruit and mineral intensity. 2018-24

97
Derek Smedley MW, DerekSmedleyMW.co.uk, September 2018

Bright and jazzy, showing lime-accented pineapple, with hints of tobacco and star fruit weaving through the long, elegant finish. This stylish wine needs time in the cellar to settle. Best from 2010 through 2017.

93
Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator, May 2010

Pronounced rich oak; tight knit. Firm palate, some oaky characters, good acidity, quite youthful, should develop. From 2012. (Recommended).

16+
Decanter.com, Decanter.com, May 2010

Lovely melange of wet straw, sappy white citrus, lime peel and waxy yellow orchard fruits, complex and balanced, perfectly fresh and mature but with incredible verve and vigour, brightness and fresh citric kick. Very fine indeed. One of the best.

96+
Greg Sherwood MW, gregsherwoodmw.com, October 2018

Fine and sweetly fruited with some spicy, nutty notes on the nose. Lively, fresh, lemony palate with keen acidity. Very linear and pure with a bright lemony finish.

94
Jamie Goode, Wineanorak.com, May 2016

Clean and fresh and direct. I like the extract and drive. Very chewy still – arguably this needs even more time!
Drink 2018-2032

17.5+
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, October 2018

Seems at first sniff a little less ripe than the Estate Chardonnay, more citrus than melon, even a hint of clementine skin, becoming more perfumed in the glass and creamy, almost nutty on the palate. Slightly smoky on the palate too and a savoury, mealy texture from the barrel ferment. Excellent length and freshness yet already pretty complex. Really fine and definitely worthy of separate bottling. 13.5% (JH)

18
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, July 2009

An extremely fresh chardonnay for more than a decade of age with stunning balance and a very long finish, the candied citrus and mineral character very intense and subtle. Delicious now, but where can you find chardonnays of this age that still have so much aging potential? Drink or hold. Screw cap.

96
Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com, October 2018
Read more tasting notes...

Tasted blind at Farr Vintners Kumeu/White Burgundy tasting. The 2007 Hunting Hill Chardonnay has a very complex, mineral-driven and harmonious bouquet with superb details: white flowers, almond and granitic scents, a slight yeasty scent that develops with time. The palate is fresh and rounded with a crisp line of acidity, good concentration with a rounded, citrus-fresh finish that shows great length. Tasting this blind you would swear you were in Meursault...in the heart of a premier cru too. What a fabulous, regal wine from Kumeu River. Drink: 2015 - 2025

94
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, May 2015

The keyword to the 2007 Hunting Hill Chardonnay is subtlety for whereas the Mate's leaps out at you, the Hunting Hill beckons you to seek out its virtues. Hints of limestone, granite, a touch of lanolin and Brazil nut. The palate is beautifully balanced, so elegant and natural that it leaves you captivated. Drink this nectar over the next six years.

94
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (184), September 2009
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.