Chardonnay, Hunting Hill, Kumeu – 2015
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Vineyard Profile
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Hunting Hill is a vineyard that was first planted in 1982 and became a significant part of the original Kumeu River Chardonnay blend. Occupying the slope overlooking Mate’s Vineyard, it has always contributed lovely ripe and rich fruit to the Estate Chardonnay. Hunting Hill was replanted
in 2000 and is now even better than before, giving beautifully ripe fruit with a distinctive mealy minerality. - Cultivation: Sustainable
- Soil: Clay loam
- Elevation: Approximately 100 meters (328 feet)
- Exposure: North-facing slope a little towards southwest
- Training: Lyre
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Vinification
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Whole-bunch pressed
Indigenous-yeast fermentation
100% barrel fermentation
100% malolactic fermentation
Aged 11 months in barrel
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Technical Information
- Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
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Tasting Notes
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This wine has fragrant lemon/lime blossom aromas on the nose that typify the lovely perfume we always get from Hunting Hill. The 2015 vintage was affected by a spring frost and the subsequent yields were lower than usual. The summer was terrific and the grapes were beautifully clean, ripe and intensely flavoured. This has created a wine of intense concentration and complexity that will be very long lived.
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Images
Reviews
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Kumeu River Chardonnay, Hunting Hill – 2015 – James Suckling – 95 Points
Rather closed on the nose and slightly funky from reduction, but very concentrated on the palate. This effortlessly marries power and freshness. The long finish is almost steely but enormously refreshing, too. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
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Chardonnay, Hunting Hill, Kumeu – 2015 – 95 points – James Suckling
"Very citrus-focused nose with overtly minerally crushed stony notes. Some sweet fermentation-derived leesy florals, too. An extremely distinctive wine in the set of single site Kumeu chardonnays. The palate continues the flinty, mineral theme, with chiselled shape and pithy grapefruit bitterness that really smacks the finish into place. Drink now."
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Chardonnay, Hunting Hill, Kumeu – 2015 – 17.5 points – Jancis Robinson
"Intense and smoky. Very dense and juicy. So captivating immediately."
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Chardonnay, Hunting Hill, Kumeu – 2015 – 92 points – Wine Enthusiast
"Plump and succulent, the 2015 Hunting Hill displays attractive notes of hickory smoke and white peach, underscored by the suggestion of citrus custard. Like all of the 2015 Chardonnays from Kumeu River, it shows great length and intensity."