Kumeu River

Kumeu, New Zealand

Vineyard

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Maté’s Vineyard

Origin of Name: Named for Brajkovich family patriarch. Replanting this vineyard in 1990 was his last vineyard project.
Planted: Purchased in 1944, replanted in 1990
Soil: Very heavy clay over sandstone
Clones: Low-yielding Mendoza clone
Additional Notes About Clones: Kumeu River waited until there were some heat-treated (i.e. virus-free) Mendoza plants available, but time has shown that they all do indeed have virus. Actually, the virus probably causes the characters that the winery likes about this clone.
Exposure: Located next to an old creek, Maté’s is the lowest-lying vineyard. It has a very sheltered position and faces north to the sun.
Vineyard’s Flavor Profile: Always gives great intensity of “lollyish” Chardonnay characters, (i.e. caramel and confectionery notes)

Hunting Hill Vineyard

Origin of Name: Named after the hillside farmland where Maté used to hunt rabbits and pheasants for the home kitchen
Planted: Originally planted in the mid-1980s, replanted in 2000
Soil: Heavy clay over sandstone. It also has an iron pan about 12 inches below the surface, which none of the other vineyards have.
Clones: Clone UCD15, which shares the low-yielding trait of the Mendoza clone. UCD15 ripens easier and earlier than Mendoza.
Additional Notes About the Clones: Clone 15 arrived on the scene as a virus-free analogue to the Mendoza clone, and Kumeu River has large areas planted to it. Clone 15 performs very well here. Kumeu River also has plantings of Clones 95 and 96 from Dijon, and just this year planted some new-generation clones from France called 548 and 1066, which look to be very promising.
Exposure: Has varying aspects, but tends to face a little south and west, so is exposed to the westerly winds and is not as warm a site as Coddington
Vineyard’s Flavor Profile: Clone 15 is typically a frutier Chardonnay, with flavors of white flowers coming from Hunting Hill.

Coddington Vineyard

Soil: Heavy clay over sandstone
Clones: Clone UCD15, which shares the low-yielding trait of the Mendoza clone. UCD15 ripens easier and earlier than Mendoza.
Additional Notes About the Clones: Clone 15 arrived on the scene as a virus-free analogue to the Mendoza clone, and Kumeu River has large areas planted to it. Clone 15 performs very well here. Kumeu River also has plantings of Clones 95 and 96 from Dijon, and just this year planted some new-generation clones from France called 548 and 1066, which look to be very promising.
Exposure: Very sheltered and faces directly north, so gets maximum sun and heat, and provides grapes with the ripest flavors
Vineyard’s Flavor Profile: Clone 15 is typically a fruitier Chardonnay, with flavors of peach and apricot coming from Coddington.

Winemaking

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At Kumeu River Wines, the winemaking philosophy can be summarized in a single word: quality. The Brajkovich family endeavors to grow grapes of the highest quality and then treat them with respect when they turn those grapes into wine. In this way, the potential quality is maximized, and Kumeu River is able to make wines that are truly representative of its land.

From the vines to the wineglass, every drop of Kumeu River wine is a blend of tradition, innovation and dedication to both the science and the art of winemaking.

Quality Wines Begin With Quality Grapes

Region

Auckland

Auckland has the distinction of being the historical birthplace of viticulture and winemaking in New Zealand. The first vines were planted in 1819 by Anglican missionary Samuel Marsden, though there is no record of wine being produced from the grapes. In 1839, Scotsman James Busby successfully made the country’s first wines. In the late 1800s, immigrants from the now-Croation Dalmatian coast came to New Zealand hoping to make their fortunes in the country’s gum fields, eventually turning to farming and grape growing.

Kumeu

Kumeu is a sub-region of the Auckland wine district. Despite being situated well north of New Zealand’s other viticultural regions, Kumeu’s climate is kept cool due to its close proximity to the Tasman Sea, just 20 kilometers (nearly 12.5 miles) to the west, and the Pacific Ocean 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) to the east. These two large bodies of water generate clouds, keeping peak summer temperatures below 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

Caring for Kumeu River’s Vineyards

Soil

Kumeu River’s 30 hectares (74 acres) of estate vineyards are comprised of predominantly clay soil overlying a sandstone base. These soil types retain sufficient water at depth, even during the summer months, ensuring that the vines are supplied with moisture without vigor ever getting too excessive. The vineyards do not require irrigation, a factor that is critical to the quality of Kumeu River’s grapes.

Trellising

Kumeu River employs the “Lyre” or “U” trellising system (left) to protect the vines from over-exposure to sunlight and UV rays resulting from the region’s depleted ozone layer.

As you look down a row of vines, the U-shape of the trellis is clear, with two side curtains of vines rising from two opposing, 14-inch-long horizontal shoots which in turn originate from a 3-foot-tall trunk. The side walls are 28 inches apart at the base, inclining slightly outward towards the top of the canopies, and trellised on inclining posts. The fruit is born at the base of the canopy, so the center must be kept open for sunlight and air circulation. Kumeu River has developed a trimming machine to trim the top, outside and inside walls of the U-system.

Bird Netting

Due to flocks of starlings, local blackbirds, thrushes and mynahs, all of whom can remove whole berries from the vines, bird netting (left) is an essential part of growing grapes at Kumeu River. A smaller migratory bird called the white-eye pecks holes in the berries, causing rot and fermentation on the vine. To avoid losing too many crops to these birds, Kumeu River has invested in reusable netting to protect its vineyards.

Harvest

All grapes that go into Kumeu River’s wines are hand-harvested. Although it takes more time than machine-harvesting, harvesting by hand allows sub-standard grapes to be removed in the vineyard instead of back at the winery, resulting in a net yield of purely high-quality grapes.

Back at the Winery

The fruit arrives at the winery intact in bins and is tipped directly into an air-bag press where it is directly pressed — Kumeu River does not use a crusher. The juice that comes out of the press is very clean and can go straight into fermentation.

Fermentation

Barrel Fermentation

Kumeu River barrel-ferments its best Chardonnays in a combination of new and old French oak, a technique that draws out flavor nuances that are crucial for fine-wine styles. Winemaker Michael Brajkovich believes that allowing Chardonnay to age on its yeast lees for an additional nine to 10 months after fermentation is one of the most important stages in winemaking; by doing this, the wine is kept in a reductive state, preventing it from oxidizing. Additionally, the alcohol in the wine slowly breaks down the cell walls, allowing the release of nutrients and other compounds back into the wine. In this way, the wine “feeds” on the yeast and regains some of the compounds that were removed from the new juice by the growing yeast cells. During this stage, the process is aided by stirring the barrels once or twice each week to re-suspend the yeast cells, a practice referred to as batonnage.

Malolactic Fermentation

Although always common in red wines, malolactic fermentation was not as prevalent in white winemaking 30 years ago. Because it is a natural process that biologically reduces wine acidity and complexes the flavor — resulting in a wine with much better acid balance and improved drinkability — Michael introduced malolactic fermentation to Kumeu River’s white wines in the early 1980s. The result has been a series of wines that are innovative, distinctive and unique in both style and quality for New Zealand. In fact, his Chardonnay is often compared to white Burgundy.

Aging Chardonnay On Its Yeast Lees

Michael believes that allowing the Kumeu River barrel-fermented Chardonnays to age on their yeast lees for an additional nine to 10 months after fermentation is one of the most important stages in winemaking; by doing this, the wine is kept in a reductive state, preventing it from oxidizing. Additionally, the alcohol in the wine slowly breaks down the cell walls, allowing the release of nutrients and other compounds back into the wine. In this way, the wine “feeds” on the yeast and regains some of the compounds that were removed from the new juice by the growing yeast cells. During this stage, the process is aided by stirring the barrels once or twice each week to re-suspend the yeast cells, a practice referred to as batonnage.