Auckland, located on New Zealand’s North Island, has the distinction of being the country’s historical birthplace of viticulture and winemaking. Kumeu is a sub-region of Auckland, with a cool, maritime climate influenced by the South Pacific Ocean. Summer temperatures are cool and winter temperatures are comparatively warm, without seasonal extremes: autumn is generally dry and sunny; however, extended cloud cover is not uncommon.

Vineyard Region: Kumeu, Auckland, North Island, New Zealand

2007 was an exceptional vintage in New Zealand for Chardonnay and the quality of fruit Kumeu River received from its various vineyard sites in Kumeu made it difficult to separate the Kumeu River Estate quality from the Village quality. The standard from this vintage is so high that there are parcels in the Village wine which in other years would have been declared Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay.

One-third of the wine was fermented in French oak barriques, and two-thirds in stainless steel to emphasize the ripe peach and melon aromas. This is a wine to drink while you wait for the Kumeu River Chardonnay to get more bottle age. Whole-bunch pressed.

This year’s Village Chardonnay features very attractive lifted fruit aromas, along with a touch of nuttiness: the hint of hazelnut that is so typical of Chardonnay. The palate also shows a nice peachy ripeness along with a crisp flinty character that gives the wine a refreshing cleansing quality. This wine is perfect to drink with fish and shellfish.