Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay 2022

Robert ParkerThere are few brothers that can successfully run a business together without going Cane and Abel on each other - but Paul (marketing), Michael (winemaking) and rarely seen Milan (vineyards) Brajkovich at Kumeu River make an amazing team. Mind you, having met their strong-willed mother Melba (managing director) it is clearly the boss, who's been with the estate not to mention the workers from the beginning, keeping them in line. If you can taste history, duty and family pride in a glass, it's there in the Kumeu River Chardonnays. Either that or it's the years of continual improvement from trials, failures, successes and all the experience and determination that goes with sheer grind. Melba's late husband, Mate (pronounced Matty), started this winery in the 1940s. "We planted a lot of different varieties," Paul told me. "The Chardonnay came out as a star early-on." Sixty odd years on and the brothers have progressed their father's life's work, now producing some of New Zealand's greatest Chardonnays, not to mention the world's.Still a Kiwi classic, Kumeu River's 2021 Estate Chardonnay features toasted grain aromas, ripe peach and nectarine flavors and a long, citrus-inflected finish. It's medium-bodied, with a plump, silky texture and up to a decade of aging potential. Hand harvested Whole-bunch pressed Indigenous yeast fermentation 100% barrel fermentation 100% malo-lactic fermentation 11 months maturation in barrelKumeu River Chardonnay is drawn from six different vineyard sites in the Kumeu Region. We are particularly careful in selecting only the very best grapes from these vineyards for our Kumeu River Estate label.Hand harvesting in a vintage like 2017 is crucial in maintaining the standard of the Estate Chardonnay that we have set for this wine. The nose is immediately fragrant and peachy with a touch of mealiness. The texture supple and with a beautiful bracing acidity on the finish. The wine is delicious now and will provide beautiful drinking over the next 6 years.Robert ParkerProducing New Zealand’s Greatest Chardonnays, Not To Mention The World’s.Bob CampbellA significant step up on the entry level Village Chardonnay with greater concentration and complexity. Quite Mâcon-like this year in a fruit-focused style with melon and peach the most obvious flavours, although they are supported by subtle nut and bran characters.

• Mærke: Kumeu River
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