2018 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate, New Zealand, Wine Review

This is the middle level bottling from this superb winery in New Zealand. Although New Zealand is not normally known for Chardonnay this wine makes spectacular bottlings especially their single vineyard offerings. Pale silvery/gold in color, clear and bright. The nose is great with nice minerality and slight grapefruit. On the palate, this is clean and very lively. Lemony with underlying minerals. Some grapefruit on the finish. Still young of course, this should continue to drink well for at least five to seven more years and likely more. It will go very nicely with grilled veggies or even chicken salad. Also, it drinks great on its own.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2018

Current Price:

$30.00USD

Hawke's Bay: New Zealand's Oldest Wine Region

Hawke's Bay, the oldest wine region in New Zealand, is known for its top-quality red wines and chardonnays. In fact, 30 percent of all chardonnay grapes grown in New Zealand are planted in the Hawke's Bay wine region.

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2015 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill, New Zealand, Wine Review

Vintage:

2015

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$50.00USD

What a superb Chardonnay. This is still a bit on the younger side, but drinking very well. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is clean and delightful. Minerals with lemons and just a hint of Meyer lemon and an herbal note. Medium bodied. On the palate, this is crisp with excellent acidity. Minerals galore. Layers of complexity unwind in the glass. A bit of lemon pith especially on the finish. This is great now on its own and will work with all sorts of food. Baked seafood would be a great choice. It should continue to improve for the next seven to ten years and be

2020 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate, New Zealand, Wine Review

Vintage:

2020

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$30.00USD

Another excellent world class Chardonnay from this New Zealand producer. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is very nice with lemons, slight peach and slight tropical fruit. Medium bodied. Crisp. On the palate, this is young but plenty of depth. Lemon and peaches with some minerality. Long finish. This is drinking well now but should improve a bit. Drink over the next ten to fifteen years. Great on its own, this will work well with lobster.

2016 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill, New Zealand, Wine Review

Vintage:

2016

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$54.00USD

One of the great Chardonnay's anywhere! Screw capped. Light gold/green in color. Great nose with minerality, lemons, slight vanilla and a hint of pears. Medium to full bodied. Crisp and clean. Refreshing and delicious. This took maybe 30 minutes to open and then kept opening all night long. The palate had lemons, lots of minerality and a sort of "poached pears in vanilla sauce only crisper quality". Lots of depth. Long finish. This bottle is still on the young side but drinking great. It will continue to do so for another ten to twelve years. Drinks great on its own, this worke

2015 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard, New Zealand, Wine Review

Vintage:

2015

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$54.00USD

Wow. Even better than the spectacular Hunting Hill! Still quite young, but with some air, this is wonderful. Light golden in color. The nose has lemons, slight citrus, a hint of mineral and tons of minerality. Full bodied. On the palate, this is big and rich, but then it has so much zing that cuts right thru it. Layers of complexity. Grapefruit and lemons over minerals. Slight green apple on the finish. This should continue to develop for another five to ten and then drink well for another ten to twelve after that. It drinks great on its own but will work well with sea food or ev

2018 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate, New Zealand, Wine Review

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