Hunting Hill Chardonnay, Kumeu River 2020

The 2020 Hunting Hill Chardonnay is superb. Tingly, lemony acidity and flamboyant yellow fruit wrap around the acid. Silky, velvety texture defines the Chardonnays at this estate, and if you want to get a sense of that, this is an eloquent place to start. There's preserved lemon, white peach, some pastry and white spice and lashings of toasted nuts. Great wine here with a long future. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink 2023-2035.

A vintage Paul Brajkovich thinks could be their greatest ever, and the highest-rated wine at this tasting from the group. Very pale in the glass still with a huge intensity of fruit, this feels like a baby but shines with crystalline lemon and lime, a little white peach and a touch of honeysuckle over gentle struck match reduction. The palate is all drive and energy, with racy acidity matching intense citrus fruit. Chalky and structured with some toasty wood to add some rounded sweetness, this is on an upward trajectory. Growing in the glass, this is effortless and beautifully balanced. A very exciting wine that will hit its peak from 10 years old - though there is no need to wait.

The Hunting Hill site sits on the slope that overlooks Mate's Vineyard, and always produces Kumeu's most tightly-wound wines. The vineyard was replanted in 2000 to elevate quality, and at 20 years old in 2020 the vines are producing the best fruit the site has ever seen. This has been bottled as a single vineyard cuvée since 2006. The Brajkovich family are not ones to overstate a vintage, but in 2020 they believe they have even surpassed the magnificent 2019. Hand harvested and whole-bunch pressed, a spontaneous fermentation and maturation take place all in tight-grained Francois Frères barrels, of which 25% are new. Pale lemon-green in colour. Steely and tight on the nose initially, this reveals itself beautifully with air as it always does. Preserved lemon, peach skins and just a hint of lime come through. The palate is chalky and grippy with phenolics, built with superb structure for the long term. Against this is intense, cool fruit. Crystalline citrus and riper stone fruit come through together, building in intensity through the mid palate. The struck flint note is persistent throughout but always in balance with the fruit. Cutting acidity lingers on the finish in tandem with the fruit. Long and expansive, this should get ever better after a few years of bottle age.

The favourite vintage overall with the tasters. ‘Star vintage – best ever?’ according to Paul Brajkovich. Very ripe and rich.
Greenish straw. Developing very nicely. Really powerful and settled with a fruity start. Dry finish. Assertive with the fruit dominating the acidity. Great balance!

Oak – 100% barrel fermentation in 25% new French oak and 100% malolactic fermentation with 11 months maturation in barrel.

Hunting Hill is now a fifty quid proposition so you have to be a fan to get in here. This is a commanding HH and it shows the restraint and also the structure that this label can summon up in the best vintages. Backward, tense and self-conscious, this will be a resounding success but you must be patient. I would be tempted to put a ‘timer’ on for eight years. While this might sound crazy, in my experience, this will be around when this wine starts to blossom.

A complex chardonnay with yellow citrus, as well as lemon-curd and creamy tones. Light hazelnut, too. The palate has such all-encompassing, fresh peachy flavors and builds impressively through the long, full finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.