Winemaker Notes
Usually the most flamboyant wine when young, the 2018 Coddington has the typical ripe peach and rich nature on the nose. The palate is beautifully forward with a supple approachability that is common with the 2018 Chardonnays. The wine has density, concentration and luscious creaminess we expect from Coddington and while this makes the wine easy to drink at this early stage no doubt it will take on lovely bottle age as it has done with previous vintages.
Pairs well with pasta, seafood, and chicken.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has very attractive richness and complexity. Fresh, nectarine and peach aromas and flavors are delivered in such energetically textural and powerful style. Impressive length and focus. Drink now. Screw cap.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is Kumeu’s middle-tiered Chardonnay, and it is the most approachable young, yet promises a long and happy life in the cellar. Delicate aromas of honeysuckle, citrus and butterscotch oak characters come together on the palate in a beautifully textural mouthfeel. Length, harmony and precision are all here. Drink now with food or until 2030 at least.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tighter and more linear than usual, the 2018 Coddington Chardonnay boasts scents of pencil shavings set against a backdrop of grapefruit and pineapple. It's medium-bodied, crisp and focused, with a bright beam of acid and hints of citrus pith on the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Concentrated notes of Key lime, apple and tangerine are vibrant, floral and expressive, with touches of lemon skin and lemon verbena on the juicy 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.