Kumeu River
Ray's Road Pinot Noir, Hawke's Bay
The Pinot Noir at Rays Road was planted by the previous owners of the site in 2008 with a variety of superior clones. The winery has identified a small section of this vineyard that shows distinct character and consistently high-quality fruit, and has dedicated it solely to the production of the Ray's Road bottling. This is the winery’s only single-vineyard Pinot Noir.
Vintage Factsheets
The vineyard in Rays Road, Raukawa, was established as a joint venture between Trinity Hill and Pascal Jolivet from Sancerre, France. Kumeu River purchased the vineyard in full in 2017. Rays Road Vineyard sits on a north-facing limestone hillside at 180 metres, a rare elevated site in Hawke’s Bay. The cooler, later ripening conditions deliver natural freshness, while limestone soils add mineral tension and dry farming keeps yields naturally low.
- Region
- Kumeu
- Appellation
- Kumeu
- Varietal Composition
- Pinot Noir
- Aging
- 12 months in French oak (10% new).
- Alcohol
- 13%
Rays Road Pinot Noir is bright and fragrant with ripe cherry and other red-fruit aromas. There is also a distinctive dry leaf quality which contributes to the complexity. The palate is supple, deceptively concentrated with a distinctive limestone edge. It is approachable now, and do not doubt that this complex wine will enhance further with bottle age
Wine Enthusiast
93 Points
2020
"Tart cherries and raspberries burst forth, flanked by a potpourri dish of dried flowers, a sprig of thyme, and a cardamom pod or two. It’s settled into itself nicely, the fruit less fresh, more liquored, with sappy tannins and crispy acidity. This bottling shows the restraint and layers so evident in this producer’s more famed Chardonnays, with distinctive Hawke’s Bay flare."
— Christina Pickard, 2025
James Suckling
92 Points
2020
"Very perfumed with cherries and fresh strawberries. Medium body. Tight and polished. Forest-floor flavors. Drinking beautifully, but will age nicely."
— 2023
