Chardonnay, Estate, Kumeu – 2018
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Vineyard Profile
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Kumeu River Chardonnay is drawn from six different vineyard sites in the Kumeu Region. We are particularly careful in selecting only the very best grapes from these vineyards for our Kumeu River Estate label.
- Location: Kumeu, Auckland
- Cultivation: Sustainable
- Size: 10 hectares (24.7 acres)
- Vine Age: Varies between 7–20 years
- Clones: 15, 6, 1066, 548, 121, 134
- Soil: Clay loam
- Elevation: 45 meters (147 feet)
- Exposure: North facing
- Training: Lyre and VSP
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Vintage Report
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The 2018 vintage was warm but with some weather episodes during harvest. This made hand harvesting crucial in maintaining the high standards for the Estate Chardonnay that we have established for this wine over decades.
- Yields: 4.5 tons/acre
- Brix: 20.82°
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Vinification
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Whole-bunch pressed
Indigenous-yeast fermentation
100% barrel fermentation
100% malolactic fermentation
11 months maturation in barrel
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Technical Information
- Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
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Tasting Notes
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The nose shows the ripe peach and nutty character that we expect to see from the Estate Chardonnay. The texture is supple and with a beautiful bracing acidity on the finish. The wine is delicious now and will provide beautiful drinking over the next 6 years.
Recent Video
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Images
Reviews
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Kumeu River Chardonnay, Estate, Kumeu – 2018 – Wine Spectator – 89 Points
Light and crisp, with plenty of power to the lemon zest, thyme and white grapefruit flavors, set on a sleek and juicy frame. Drink now. 6,000 cases made, 500 cases imported
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Kumeu River Chardonnay, Estate, Kumeu – 2018 – Wine & Spirits – 90 Points
Michael Brajkovich, MW, blends this wine from six estate vineyards in Kumeu, holding to a consistently savory, structured style of chardonnay. Its flavors of nectarine, white peach and pithy lemon gained a broad and creamy texture from oak aging, while the fruit is saturated enough to remain the focus. A clean New World chardonnay with Old World elegance.
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Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay — 2018 – Wine Enthusiast – 93 Points
Within Kumeu's wide range of Chardonnays (after all, this far northern winery has carved its reputation on the variety), its estate wine is the one to go for if drinking young, although it will continue to blossom over the next five to seven years. Exceptionally food-friendly, it offers all the length and class of the upper-tier wines, but with more upfront appeal in the form of bright citrus and pear fruit, white spice and honey. Like with its brethren, the palate stars in the show with texture and acidity striking a graceful balancing act, and with oak taking a back seat.
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Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay — 2018 – Wine Advocate – 90 Points
The 2018 Estate Chardonnay delivers typical toasty-mealy aromas, plus notes of tangerine, white peach and pineapple. Medium-bodied and silky in texture, it's a bit restrained at this stage of its evolution, but it should blossom within another six months or so, then drink well for up to a decade.