Chardonnay, Maté’s Vineyard, Kumeu — 2022
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Vineyard Profile
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In 1990, Maté Brajkovich reworked the land at Kumeu River and planted a new vineyard of Chardonnay on the site of the family’s original vineyard, purchased in 1944. The first harvest from these new vines was in March 1993, the year following Maté’s death. The vineyard was named Maté’s Vineyard in his honor, and the resulting single-vineyard wine was first released in November 1994 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Brajkovich family’s arrival in Kumeu.
- Location: Kumeu, Auckland
- Cultivation: Sustainable
- Size: 2.49 hectares (6 acres)
- Vine Age: Planted 1990
- Clones: Mendoza
- Soil: Clay loam
- Elevation: 45 meters (147 feet)
- Exposure: North facing
- Training: Lyre
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Vintage Report
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The 2022 vintage was excellent due to favorable weather conditions. The winter of 2021 was mild and wet, and the spring growth was lush and rapid. Flowering was ahead of usual, indicating another early harvest. Dry weather in January and February provided ideal conditions for the development of aroma and flavor. The Chardonnay wines, particularly the Single Vineyards, are shining examples of the Kumeu style, highlighting individual personalities.
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Vinification
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Hand harvested
Whole-bunch pressed
Indigenous-yeast fermentation
French oak barrels, 30% new oak
100% barrel fermentation
100% malolactic fermentation
11 months maturation in barrel
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Technical Information
- Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
- Alcohol: 13%
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Tasting Notes
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This release marks the 30th vintage for Mate’s Vineyard and continues the amazing run of vintages we have had with this vineyard. The conditions during the 2022 harvest were superb and the fruit from Mate’s Vineyard was ripe and pristine. The resulting wine shows the density, concentration and length that we expect and even though it is somewhat shy on the nose, with bottle age the full palette of complex aromas and bouquet of this wonderful wine will shine through.
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Images
Reviews
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Maté’s Vineyard Chardonnay, Kumeu — 2022 – Wine Enthusiast – 94 Points
“This is a powerful, some - what reductive vintage of Maté’s. Aromas of nuts, gunsmoke and toast frame concentrated stone and tropical fruit. There’s lot of oomph here, but a delicacy of fruit, too. In a polished style, and still very much a baby, this is structured for the long road ahead and should age gracefully for decades to come.”
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Chardonnay, Maté’s Vineyard, Kumeu — 2022 – Vinous – 95 Points
"The 2022 Maté's Vineyard Chardonnay offers tension, power and an unrelenting sense of moving forward as if your palate has been put on a travelator. Currently it's closed and young with little aromatic generosity. There's nevertheless purity and a real sense of density. The richness is there but it's held within a brace of tension, ensuring precision and focus."
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Chardonnay, Maté’s Vineyard, Kumeu — 2022 – Wine Advocate – 96 Points
“The nose leads with candied bananas, pineapple husk, white peach and a hint of lychee, and the edges of the aromatics are feathered with preserved citrus, brine, curry leaf and apple skins. In the mouth, the wine is powered by supercharged fruit; it is crystalline in its way. The flavor is sapid and palate-staining, with just enough salt and savory spices in the fruit to make it super complex as well as powerful. It is precisely folded like origami, each crease in service of the overall shape.”