Wine Review: Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay 2023
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- Following a visit by the Wine-Searcher's Wine Specialists team to the Kumeu River Winery, our Wine Director, David Allen MW, reviews the 2023 vintage of Kumeu River's Hunting Hill Chardonnay. Following a string of four superb vintages from 2019-22, the 2023 was produced in much more adverse conditions following some severe weather in the region. This wine proves to be an excellent example of how a top-class winery can make wonderful wines in in a more challenging vintage.
The Kumeu River Winery is located just outside the town of Kumeu, 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) northwest of central Auckland, in New Zealand's North Island. It is particularly known for its Burgundian-style Chardonnays, of which it produces several expressions. The wines are critical favorites having received various international awards and accolades from Wine critics.
The winery was founded as San Marino Vineyards by the Brajkovich family in 1944, seven years after they had emigrated from Croatia. By the late 1970s it had a solid reputation based on hybrid grape varieties used for fortified wines and everyday reds and whites.
In the 1980s, the current generation of brothers Milan, Paul and Michael Brajkovich MW became more involved in the business - more recently their sister Marianna has also joined them. The company transitioned focus to high-quality production, with a focus on Burgundy-inspired Chardonnay. The Kumeu River Wines name was adopted in 1986.
In addition to the estate in the Kumeu region, the Rays Road vineyard was acquired in 2017, located in the Hawke's Bay region, it had been established in 2008 as a joint venture between Trinity Hill and Pascal Jolivet a producer from France's Loire Valley. Predominantly based on limestone soils and significantly more elevated than most vineyards in Hawkes Bay, the site produces wines in a style that has been likened to Chablis .
Discover more about this wine, its pricing and where to buy it by following this link to the Wine-Searcher website: www.wine-searc...
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very nice, David!
Thanks, I have to admit to being a big Kumeu River fan!
Thanks, David. I have three '22s and one bottle of 2021 from Kumeu River. All of them are the Exhibition series from The Wine Society. I am not sure from which vineyard the fruit was sourced. I have yet to open one. Have you tasted either of these wines and, if so, should I be keeping them for a while longer? I tend to cellar my white Burgundies for a few years before opening, at least in good years.
I have to say I'm interested by the Exhibition Series Chardonnay, It seems to be priced between the Estate Chardonnay and the Village wines. The back label I've seen claims it comes from a plot adjacent to Mate's Vineyard, so I'm not sure where that would be. So I'm not aware of having tasted it. Speaking to Michael & Paul Brajkovich on Monday though, they suggest their wines are best with 5-6 yrs bottle age, while we were mostly concentrating on the Estate and single-vineyard wines I'd think 5 years might be a good point, especially as they are two really good vintages.
@@winesearcherThanks, David. Very helpful.
I have bought two bottles of the Wine Society's 150 Kumeu River. It is a 2019 special bottling: almost equal parts Maté's and Coddington. A bit pricey but probably better value than equivalent quality from Burgundy. The recommended drinking window goes out to 2034, although I might open the first one next year for my 70th.
Cheers.