Winemaker Notes
Produced from a vineyard owned by Tim and Angela Coddington, these grapes have been a part of Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay since 1998. The site gives low yields of very rich, concentrated and unctuous Chardonnay that folks at Kumeu River have often thought could make an excellent individual wine. Since 2006, the winery has accorded Coddington with single vineyard status to reflect this vineyard's unique character.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Coddington Chardonnay leads with beeswax and brine, pressed white flowers, crushed shells and chalky minerality. The wine is restrained and elegant, mouthfilling in its intensity and showing spicy prowess through the finish. It's very, very good, excellent, in fact. Notions of oak-derived bacon fat through the finish boost complexity and interest. There's plenty of time left to go here.
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James Suckling
Bright and citrusy style with gently toasty oak in a modern guise. This has a sense of pristine fruit ripeness, opening to white-peach aromas and a flinty edge. The palate's smoothly crafted, and the acidity keeps everything attractive in terms of beautiful stone-fruit flavors that sit in a sorbet-like texture. So much great freshness and resolve. Drink now.
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Wine Spectator
Precise and appealing, with lemongrass and thyme accents to the pear, lemon and honeydew melon flavors, set on a sleek, crisp frame. Notes of peppery white flowers, spice and green tea linger on the finish. Drink now.
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Vinous
The 2014 Chardonnay Coddington is surprisingly toasty and smoky on the first sniff, with those characters overlaying the fruit. Returning several minutes later, you find a briny character and a firm core of power and line. It is a tight, focused style that remains firm and surprisingly citrussy bright in its acidity. Bottle-age-derived nutty notes and a hint of dried stone fruit linger on the medium-long finish.
Founded in 1944 by Mick Brajkovich, wife Katé and son Maté, Kumeu River was one of the early pioneers in Auckland, New Zealand, that helped to establish its reputation as a world-class wine region. Still family owned and run, Kumeu River continues to pioneer new frontiers: winemaker Michael Brajkovich became New Zealand’s first member of the prestigious Institute of Masters of Wine, London, they have been testing and championing screw cap closures for close to 20 years and the winery has gone on to become the globally recognized benchmark for non-Burgundy produced Chardonnay. All Kumeu River wines are hand-harvested, whole bunch pressed and demonstrate exclusive use of indigenous yeast fermentation.
The Chardonnays of Kumeu River have gained a strong foothold within the international market, continuously and consistently receiving outstanding accolades. The winery is a globally recognized benchmark for age-worthy Chardonnay outside of Burgundy.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Grape-growers in the local subregions of Clevedon, Matakana and Waiheke Island, focusing on vineyard techniques to maximize quality, are producing very fine Bordeaux Blends from local grapes. Auckland is also an industrial area where winemakers can produce quality wines based on sourced grapes from neighboring regions.