Kumeu River Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay 2016
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Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The Mate's Vineyard is usually the most reserved and unyielding when young with the nose being closed, just giving hints of the golden queen peach and mineral notes that we expect from Mate's Vineyard. On the palate however, the flavor is very concentrated and distinctly richer than the other 2016 wines, but maintaining a perfect balance and freshness that sets this wine apart and makes it wonderful. This is a wine of immense concentration that will be very long lived.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Maté's is usually the tightest, most linear of the KR Chards, and that's again the case. The 2016 Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay is marked by smoky new oak, but there's also pineapple and grapefruit notes that create a crisp, acidic spine. Draped off of that are hints of white peaches, roasted hazelnuts and tangerine. There's an almost briny zestiness to the lingering finish that sets it apart from the winery's other single-vineyard bottlings.
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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.