Winemaker Notes
#76 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2011
The 2008 vintage came at the end of a wonderful summer and produced peachy and luscious Chardonnays. The Estate Chardonnay from this vintage displays the "golden queen" peach and honey characters combined with the hint of hazelnut typical of this wine. The rich silky texture and length of flavour are distinct characteristics that we expect to see from the Estate Chardonnay. This is a wine that is undoubtedly delicious to drink now because of the ripeness of the vintage but experience with vintages such as this also indicates that the wine will benefit from bottle age of 2 to 5 years.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Hints of crushed stone and mineral help offset the ripe, peachy notes on the nose of the 2008 Estate Chardonnay. Fleshy and ripe on the medium to full-bodied palate, it shows some hints of honeyed development, nearing full maturity.
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Wine Spectator
A wonderful balance between crisp, steely notes of citrus, pear and green apple and complex flavor nuances on a smooth texture, with floral, lime peel and tobacco details. The finish just goes on and on. Drink now through 2016. 2,000 cases imported.
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Wine Enthusiast
A blend of several vineyard parcels, Kumeu River’s Estate bottling is the best value in the winery’s impressive lineup of 2008 Chardonnays. It shows all of the toasty, leesy notes of the single-vineyard wines, medium body and a bright core of zesty pineapple fruit. Drink now–2014.
Rating: Editors' Choice
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.