Kumeu chardonnays are arguably the finest in New Zealand and when served blind are often mistaken for white Burgundy - high praise indeed!
The 2020 Village Chardonnay is a real gem at £14 per bottle on the table!
Kumeu River Village Chardonnay 2020
£96 per 12 x 75cl IB
£147 incl. VAT
Available at Seckford for delivery right away
Carriage for UK mainland is £18 per delivery
Offered subject to final confirmation
Please read on to find out more
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87/100, Rebecca Gibb MW (Vinous.com)
Drink 2021 - 2024
The 2020 Chardonnay Kumeu Village is the “entry” to New Zealand's most famous Chardonnay producer's range. It is clean and precise and focuses on pure fruit, offering flavors of nectarine, red grapefruit and white flowers. While some of the wine has been fermented in French oak, there is very little evidence of oak in terms of aroma and flavor, although the zesty style has had its corners rounded by barrel influence. A bright, crisp Chardonnay for enjoying in youth.
16.5/20 Jancis Robinson MW
Drink 2020 - 2022
Screwcapped bottle 1,310 g. Blend of hand-picked grapes from Kumeu and the Brajkovich family's new Rays Road vineyard in Hawke's Bay. Spontaneous fermentation after whole-bunch pressing. Aged on the lees. Surprisingly rich nose. Fine, appetising, crisp palate with just a little chewiness still evident at this point. There's a suggestion of sweet grapefruit juice. Really clean, fresh and long. VGV
Neal Martin:
"You are left scratching your head as to why Kumeu River is not uttered in the same breath as Leflaive, Ramonet or Marcassin."
Maté Brajkovich arrived in New Zealand in 1938. Then in 1944 he and his parents purchased a property with a small vineyard just to the northeast of Auckland - the Kumeu River estate was born.
Maté's son, Michael, took over in 1982. It was then the true potential of the vineyards began to be fully realised. Michael, the first New Zealand Master of Wine, vastly improved the quality of the fruit though an improved drainage system and the vineyards' ecosystem.
2020 – A Superlative Vintage that Sets a New Benchmark
Notes from Kumeu River:
After another wet winter in 2019, Spring came early, warm and dry. Flowering took place a week or two ahead of normal, and the fruit set was very good. Apart from two wet days just before Christmas, there was very little rain in December. January had virtually no rain, becoming one of the driest months on record, and was followed by extreme drought conditions throughout February and into the March harvest period. The only significant rain in March fell after all the grapes had been picked.
The early flowering in Spring brought the harvest date forward by 7-10 days compared to normal. This, coupled with warm dry ripening conditions, enabled the grapes to reach perfect maturity.
The Village Chardonnay vineyards which deliver slightly higher yields and simpler flavours all came on in a rush. They were still able to retain crisp earthy minerality from Kumeu, and some delightful stonefruit aromas from Hawkes Bay, to create a blend which must surely be our best Village Chardonnay ever.
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