Winemaker Notes
Hunting Hill is very distinctive in its terroir typicity, with piercing lemon/lime fruit lift and florality on the nose, richness and volume in the mouth followed by lingering acidity and minerality on the finish. This is an absolute classic example of how great the Chardonnay grape can be: A beautifully powerful, yet elegant and complex wine with long term aging ability.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Aromas of apples, white peaches and steel with hints of lemongrass, fresh basil, flint and white flowers. Medium- to full-bodied with a tight and dense center palate and a crunchy and flavorful finish. Energetic acidity.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Hunting Hill Chardonnay is the most concentrated of the collection so far with the Ray's Road wine still to be tasted. This vineyard is very close to the Maté's vineyard, up on the slope overlooking the other. The wine has nuances of sun-dried kelp, scratched lemon peel, yellow peach and churned butter/almond meal richness. This is likely more in line with the vineyard expression "as we know it," with a floral lift through the finish. This is a really good wine here.
-
Wine Enthusiast
er 2023 Hunting Hill Chardonnay (Kumeu). A medium-gold hue, this topnotch Chardy from New Zealand’s North Island opens with rich, heady apricot and nougat aromas. There’s a briny element—florals too—and a lactic, toasty underbelly. A juicy fruited tang on the elegant palate keeps the mouth watering. It’s countered by a lovely slippery texture. A complete and totally delicious wine now, it could also evolve nicely over the next decade.
-
Wine Spectator
Complex, concentrated and focused, with sweetgrass, peach, lemon, lemon oil and lemongrass aromatics that give this extra lift. Sleek and juicy, the finish is persistent and refreshing. Drink now through 2037. 100 cases imported.
-
Vinous
There's some really punchy acidity in the 2023 Chardonnay Hunting Hill. It's the coolest, breeziest of the three single vineyards at Kumeu, which is highlighted by the vintage, creating an athletic character. It displays its characteristic lemon/lime while its tight, forceful texture grips the roof of your mouth. It is not the most concentrated of Hunting Hills, but it still attains balance and restraint. No new oak was used in 2023, usually around 25%. One for the cellar, but if you must open in the coming 2-5 years, decant this wine.
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.