The reliable consistency of these is remarkable (though not surprising under screwcap). Not much variation in my last note or two. Maybe a touch smokier?
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Lovely! Zesty citrus, pear, Chablis like opulence. Probably better and more joyous than the 2017 Chablis 1er cru we had earlier. Still fresh, possibly 5 more years left but will lose some energy no doubt.
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Fairly consistent with previous notes - energy varies between bottles, but this could easily be the food served and palate at the moment. This bottle had a slightly smokier edge, but perhaps more rounded fruit and better integrated oak.
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Little SO2 on this one. Oak and vanilla smooth out the tropical fruits. I think this is an earlier maturing vintage than some and is probably at its peak now.
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My favourite Chardonnay producer and this doesn’t disappoint. Insane VFM. The nose is all tropical fruits, especially really ripe pineapple and spice from the perfect use of oak. Palate is lemony fresh, with great acidity and lovely oak notes.
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Just a delicious bottle, perhaps a bit fresher and zingy-er on the finish. Similar citrus/orchard fruit interplay, though lemons were more pronounced here. Very moreish and in a delightful place.
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A slightly more composed bottle than my last, perhaps due to some decanting back into the bottle. The orange blossom just a bit brighter, stone fruits and oaky creaminess just a bit more seamless. In a very nice place.
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With fish pie. Oak and SO2 not as immediately obvious as some vintages. The latter blows off quickly. More restrained in colour too. Good; a little more 'cool climate' than some years - the acidity will mellow I think and it will again become like a village Chablis or St Aubin.
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Mineralality and a slight sulphate character really bring this into the realm of White Burgundy, albeit with a very bright acid backbone. Intense, and focused, with a wonderful oyster shell personality. Could use some time in the bottle.
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So glad I have more of this, drinking better with each bottle. It still has that distinctive lemon-lime-saline quality which is signature to Kumeu wines. Looking forward to the next one. I wont rush.
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What a difference a year makes! This is creamy and open and full of delightful stone and citrus fruits - apricots, peaches, lemon, and orange blossom. It has a bit of a Maconnais feel, but is uniquely Kumeu with nicely integrated oak, just a faint reductive quality that blows off, and a long finish of tropical fruits.
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I bought a case of this wine off the back of the glowing reviews.
I'm not sure what wine the "press" drink but it's not this wine!
I don't dislike this wine.
It's just I find its reductive quality too much, too much smoke and struck match.
I had a similar issue with another NZ Chardonnay from Dog Point. My solution was to wait and it paid off.
I'll do the same with this too.
As noted in the comments the struck match "bonfire" does subside. By day two it'd had gone. Apples, with a creamy toasty buttery finish and well balanced acidity.
When I open my next bottle, I'll double decant before drinking and pop it back in the fridge.
Wiff of reduction on the nose. Might blow off with air. Very pleasant chardonnay in NZ Style. Eileen Hardys yesterday was better, but also 40-45% costlier and 4 years older. So pretty good one here.
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Kleur: Middel strogeel met een subtiel groen vleugje. Aroma / bouquet: Frisse tonen als limoen en een geel appeltje, een hint van eiken, stokbrood en brioche. De lichte geur van gekookte kool verraadt een beperkte batonnage. Smaak / Afdronk: In de mond retronasale impressies van limoen, appel en gebrande nootjes / kool. Mooie balans, mondvullend, intens en licht-filmend. Een rijke 'Kiwi--Chardonnay' van grote klasse. Algemeen / potentieel: De betere wijnen van het huis Kumeu doen het meer dan uitstekend wanneer ze worden ingebracht als 'piraat' tijdens blinde proeverijen van witte Bourgognes! Nieuw-Zeelands met Meursault-aspiraties. Èn schroefdop ;-). 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Smaak / Afdronk: 16 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 91/100
i] Colour: Medium straw yellow with a subtle hint of green. Aroma / bouquet: Fresh notes such as lime and a yellow apple, a hint of oak, baguette and brioche. The light smell of cooked cabbage reveals limited batonnage. Taste / Aftertaste: IRetronasal impressions of lime, apple and roasted nuts / cabbage. Nice balance, mouth-filling, intense and round. A rich 'Kiwi--Chardonnay' of great class. General / potential: The better wines from the Kumeu house do more than excellently when they are introduced as a 'pirate' during blind tastings of white Burgundies! New Zealander with Meursault aspirations. One screw cap ;-). 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Taste / Aftertaste: 16 + General / potential: 8 = 91/100
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Always an excellent wine, especially as prices remain very reasonable. I like this vintage. Short to medium term drinking for me, while the single vineyards age.
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Pale gold with nose of apricot, peach, lemon, lime, apple & honey. Nice weight and body. Strong acidity. To taste peach, apricot, pear, apple, honey, nuts, smoke, lemon & lime. Long. Excellent balance & flavour intensity. Very good. Plenty of time in hand but drinking nicely. Day 2: More of the same, touch rounder and richer.
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Good acidity - tinge of green? White fruit flavours; some creaminess/vanilla on the nose, though, on the palate, the fruit is well-integrated with the acidity. Oak-notes quite subdued. Delicious now, and will probably improve over the next year or so.
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Reductive nose, rather thin and clipped on the midpalate and generally not my cup of tea at all. I cannot find anything I like about it. A chore to finish. Yet the host who kindly shared the half bottle, remarked upon how good it was.
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Struck match, lemon and white peach. Vanilla and gentle spice. Elegant and balanced on the palate, a touch of creaminess, taut acidity with a saline note and a long finish. Present but not heavy and will probably improve with age. Lovely.
Spontaneous fermentation of hand-picked grapes, whole-bunch pressed. 100% barrel fermentation in 20% new French oak and 100% malolactic fermentation with 11 months maturation in barrel.
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Aromas of peach blossom, bright, clean tropical fruit, salted lemon and toasty oak. Intense. A crisp, clean linear squeaky fresh Chardonnay that is sweet on the entry but whose veins run a dry lemon and lime freshness. Rich in the mid-palate, the wine is linear with clarity and poise. The long finish unwinds with a vanilla peach custard with melba toast, dried pineapple and a chalky edge. Delicious!
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This is good, but feels incomplete and in a dumb stage. Fruit is good, perhaps a bit custardy. Acid is there, though a bit muddled. There's just a lack of energy at the moment, but after 40 min in glass this started to break through and open up. I'm going to wait another year and see what happens.
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Lot of fresh fruit, citrus, apple, stone fruits, and some flinty notes in addition to some toast, cheese and a slight hint of kerosine. Needs air to open up but shows very good complexity with great acid structure
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100% Chardonnay from six vineyard sites around the Kumeu region. Manual harvest. Whole-bunch pressed. Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast, and maturation in barrel (20% new). 100% malolactic. Aged 11 months in old French oak barrels. 13.5% Abv.
Background: Mick and Katé Brajkovich arrived from Croatia in 1937. Succeeded by son Maté in 1949 as as San Marino Vineyards. Maté (d. 1992) and wife Melba had four children who ran Kumeu River Wines since 1986. Rays Road Vineyard in Hawkes Bay was acquired in 2017. Proprietors: Brajkovich Family: Melba, Michael, Milan, Marijann, Paul Winemaker: Michael Brajkovich MW
A(ccuracy)=2: Bright gold/yellow. Slight reduction. B(alance)=3: Ripe fruit with fine acid structure. C(omplexity)=2: Citrus, peach, pear, cream, spicy oak. D(epth)=1: Savory mouthfeel. Average length and finish/
Wine Tally Score [2,3,2,1] = 8/10
Consistent with Kumeu River's established style.
For story-telling label graphics, see: [https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm9eV5GS8Ud/] [https://www.facebook.com/WineTally/] For video explanation (in 8 languages), see Wine Tally on [https://www.youtube.com]
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Description below of good white Burgundy but a bit more tropical covers it off. Ready to drink now but will improve....the 2014 is really quite like a nice village St Aubin or even a Puligny right now. This still has the upfront fruit, but it didn't have the initial SO2 hit that others have had...it blows off quickly.
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Reminded me of decent white Burgundy but a little more tropical. Looks beautifully glossy and shiny in the glass, noticeably textured in the mouth from a little time on its lees. Hints of pineapple with stronger flavours of coconut and a little honey. Full-bodied but that's balanced beautifully by the acidity that keeps things fresh. Long finish. Very well made, beautifully balanced. This is a seriously enjoyable wine and unlikely to improve much, so feel free to drink up.
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This is banging chardonnay. Light color, almost with a touch of green. Only the tiniest edge of reduction, paired with ripe, ripe pineapple, ripe fruits, searing acid, and overal complex yet balanced and with high intensity. Very classy, very polished, very good. Wow.
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A gloriously sunny day at Lords watching the test match. Perfect accompaniment to the picnic. Rich and ripe with noticeable oak but a good cut of acidity to keep it clean.
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Seriously classy juice this. Grapefruit zest, vanilla, butter and toast. Creamy mouthfeel but still beautifully poised. Suspect this one will have a good few years in it.
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Impressive chardonnay with minerals, mealy complexity and a bracing, sophisticated structure. Just a baby, although showing a lot of finesse and style for its young age.
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100% Chardonnay, pale yellow color, complex aromas of citrus, stone fruits and toast, on the palate, medium bodied, ripe stone fruits, ccomplex, well structured, lingering citric finish, lovely chardonnay, great bargain!
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Hopefully just an off bottle as I realise my score does not fit with previous reviewers. I found this wine had a noticeable and unpleasant acidic streak which upset the balance making an ultra lean wine. So possibly flawed, also possibly opened just at the wrong moment. Another five to go so we shall see.
light yellow, lots of clarity, silvery hue Nose: white nectarine, green apple, white pepper, brioche, lemon, wax, minerals, touch oak Pal: peach, green apple, white pepper, brioche, lime rind, touch tangerine, wax, minerals, oak Feel: full, savory, acidic Finish: medium, long T9
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Friends from Wanaka brave the drive to the wilds of Queensberry (Wanaka Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand): Fabulous tonight, and a wonderful match with a buttery and sweet corn soup with shellfish oil. The intense concentration, mealiness, and tight nature of the elevage both contrasted and echoes the flavours and textures of the dish. The KR estate is clearly a step above the excellent village wine, and shows fabulous class. Structured and still very young, but a rich dish will bring it out of its shell.
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Kumeu is a very reliable producer of a "lemon, minerals, match stick, Meursault like" creamy yet fresh Chardonnay. This wine is no different, very good and very good QPR. You can see why they have such a following.
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Lovely nose of apples, quince and a hint of lemon. Beautifully fresh and quite long on the palate. Drank a glass on its own pre dinner and the rest of the bottle with pan fried monkfish in a ginger garlic and tomato sauce. The food flavours were a little too big for the wine but the acidity and dry minerality shone through. A lovely bottle to drink now or hold.
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Ignore previous note. Bottle 2 and day 2 and this is fabulous. Skilful Wine making in show, and stylistically a blend of the Kumeu vineyard wines. Better day 2, load up, I did.
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First of a six pack. Pale lemon in colour with a nose of nectarine, other white stone fruits, smoke and barrel spice. Generously wide plummy mid palate then smoke, bacon and spice in the long finish. The structure is to keep but the mid palate is rich and fruit-forward, so a crowd pleaser. Excellent value but not my style. Happy to pay the premium for the Kumeu vineyard range and if pricing gap is too steep try the Rays Road, which I suspect is a better value play.
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Two glasses drunk at Shed 5, note written from memory. Creamy, citric with pear and a little melon. Generous and structured but balanced and precise. Some vanillin oak yet to integrate. A worthy successor to the excellent 2019, it may even be better. Ideally give it until 2023+.
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Drunk the night after the 2020 Coddington, this is certainly a less-concentrated, less polished example, but it is still an outstanding example of the vintage for KR. 100% barrel ferment, 100% malolactic, this has a lot of layered depth, but still retains a beautiful focus and bright acid core.
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Medium plus nose is floral, lemon zest, flint, wet rock, white pear. Palate gives crisp style, Chard notes of green apple, pear, dried vanilla, but unChard like structure in med plus acidity, balanced alcohol. Finish gives more New World style in the fruit notes, adds some spice. Very nicely balanced.
Mealy and 'flinty' mineral aroma, with cool orchard and citrus fruits, and coffee-like, nutty, spicy oak accents, fairly moderate; it works. Round, fleshy, dense texture, lifted by good acidity. Fresh, delicious/moreish, and with depth and substance. Lingering stony mineral undercurrent. Firing on all cylinders really. Good stuff, and a terrific value.
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With time in the glass, and a chance to warm up slightly, this wine offered an extremely classy and complete expression of Chardonnay. Impeccable wine making, great fruit quality, with a sense of opulence allied to a mealy structure that was outstanding. 2020 was clearly a great vintage for KR, and this wine certainly offers a step up in quality from the village wine (which should be bought by the case in this vintage). This will improve over the near-medium term. Superb.
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13.5% vol Super purity and freshness, again showing a delicacy and sweet succulence, subtle yet persistently perfumed notes of sweet apple and blossom. Great precision.
Nice weight and richness, more oak apparent and a touch of flint. Lovely citrus edge, some (oak) grip. Bright and fresh, great energy, super texture, long and mealy. Looking forward to trying this again tomorrow.
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5/6/2024 - Chimer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Flavour developing beautifully, still really fresh and youthful but first signs of integration coming - delicious - another decade to come
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3/31/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 90 Points
The reliable consistency of these is remarkable (though not surprising under screwcap). Not much variation in my last note or two. Maybe a touch smokier?
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3/21/2024 - Fleets Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely! Zesty citrus, pear, Chablis like opulence.
Probably better and more joyous than the 2017 Chablis 1er cru we had earlier.
Still fresh, possibly 5 more years left but will lose some energy no doubt.
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3/15/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fairly consistent with previous notes - energy varies between bottles, but this could easily be the food served and palate at the moment. This bottle had a slightly smokier edge, but perhaps more rounded fruit and better integrated oak.
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3/2/2024 - auldalliance Likes this wine:
Little SO2 on this one. Oak and vanilla smooth out the tropical fruits. I think this is an earlier maturing vintage than some and is probably at its peak now.
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2/11/2024 - Luke275 wrote:
My favourite Chardonnay producer and this doesn’t disappoint. Insane VFM. The nose is all tropical fruits, especially really ripe pineapple and spice from the perfect use of oak. Palate is lemony fresh, with great acidity and lovely oak notes.
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2/8/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 91 Points
Just a delicious bottle, perhaps a bit fresher and zingy-er on the finish. Similar citrus/orchard fruit interplay, though lemons were more pronounced here. Very moreish and in a delightful place.
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1/22/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 91 Points
A slightly more composed bottle than my last, perhaps due to some decanting back into the bottle. The orange blossom just a bit brighter, stone fruits and oaky creaminess just a bit more seamless. In a very nice place.
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1/12/2024 - auldalliance Likes this wine:
With fish pie. Oak and SO2 not as immediately obvious as some vintages. The latter blows off quickly. More restrained in colour too. Good; a little more 'cool climate' than some years - the acidity will mellow I think and it will again become like a village Chablis or St Aubin.
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1/7/2024 - Marc wrote: 90 Points
Mineralality and a slight sulphate character really bring this into the realm of White Burgundy, albeit with a very bright acid backbone. Intense, and focused, with a wonderful oyster shell personality. Could use some time in the bottle.
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1/5/2024 - tuckandvine Likes this wine: 92 Points
So glad I have more of this, drinking better with each bottle. It still has that distinctive lemon-lime-saline quality which is signature to Kumeu wines. Looking forward to the next one. I wont rush.
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12/10/2023 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 90 Points
What a difference a year makes! This is creamy and open and full of delightful stone and citrus fruits - apricots, peaches, lemon, and orange blossom. It has a bit of a Maconnais feel, but is uniquely Kumeu with nicely integrated oak, just a faint reductive quality that blows off, and a long finish of tropical fruits.
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11/21/2023 - ProfAvi Likes this wine: 88 Points
I bought a case of this wine off the back of the glowing reviews.
I'm not sure what wine the "press" drink but it's not this wine!
I don't dislike this wine.
It's just I find its reductive quality too much, too much smoke and struck match.
I had a similar issue with another NZ Chardonnay from Dog Point.
My solution was to wait and it paid off.
I'll do the same with this too.
As noted in the comments the struck match "bonfire" does subside. By day two it'd had gone. Apples, with a creamy toasty buttery finish and well balanced acidity.
When I open my next bottle, I'll double decant before drinking and pop it back in the fridge.
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11/11/2023 - bobbylion Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wiff of reduction on the nose. Might blow off with air. Very pleasant chardonnay in NZ Style. Eileen Hardys yesterday was better, but also 40-45% costlier and 4 years older. So pretty good one here.
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11/7/2023 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 91 Points
Kleur: Middel strogeel met een subtiel groen vleugje. Aroma / bouquet: Frisse tonen als limoen en een geel appeltje, een hint van eiken, stokbrood en brioche. De lichte geur van gekookte kool verraadt een beperkte batonnage. Smaak / Afdronk: In de mond retronasale impressies van limoen, appel en gebrande nootjes / kool. Mooie balans, mondvullend, intens en licht-filmend. Een rijke 'Kiwi--Chardonnay' van grote klasse. Algemeen / potentieel: De betere wijnen van het huis Kumeu doen het meer dan uitstekend wanneer ze worden ingebracht als 'piraat' tijdens blinde proeverijen van witte Bourgognes! Nieuw-Zeelands met Meursault-aspiraties. Èn schroefdop ;-). 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Smaak / Afdronk: 16 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 91/100
i] Colour: Medium straw yellow with a subtle hint of green. Aroma / bouquet: Fresh notes such as lime and a yellow apple, a hint of oak, baguette and brioche. The light smell of cooked cabbage reveals limited batonnage. Taste / Aftertaste: IRetronasal impressions of lime, apple and roasted nuts / cabbage. Nice balance, mouth-filling, intense and round. A rich 'Kiwi--Chardonnay' of great class. General / potential: The better wines from the Kumeu house do more than excellently when they are introduced as a 'pirate' during blind tastings of white Burgundies! New Zealander with Meursault aspirations. One screw cap ;-). 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Taste / Aftertaste: 16 + General / potential: 8 = 91/100
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10/27/2023 - Darbus123 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Always an excellent wine, especially as prices remain very reasonable. I like this vintage. Short to medium term drinking for me, while the single vineyards age.
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10/12/2023 - MarcPal Likes this wine: 89 Points
very good QPR here, hint of oak, mineral, good acidity, could be mistaken for burg if tasted blind.
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8/28/2023 - JonathanFlavell Likes this wine:
Pale gold with nose of apricot, peach, lemon, lime, apple & honey. Nice weight and body. Strong acidity. To taste peach, apricot, pear, apple, honey, nuts, smoke, lemon & lime. Long. Excellent balance & flavour intensity. Very good. Plenty of time in hand but drinking nicely. Day 2: More of the same, touch rounder and richer.
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8/19/2023 - Rupert wrote:
At House of Tides: just as you'd expect. Classy, neatly oaked chardonnay.
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8/2/2023 - Veg Likes this wine:
Just classic Kiwi Chardonnay, Rich without being over the top. Yummy.
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7/7/2023 - auldalliance Likes this wine:
Punchier than some previous vintages. Good fruit, but more evident oak and not as reminiscent of a good white burgundy than some others. Quite rich.
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4/14/2023 - mjgkng Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fragrant and rich. Good example of a great winery.
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4/13/2023 - MTH1983 wrote: 88 Points
Delicious. White peaches and decent acidity in a rounded body.
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3/18/2023 - Mulvk Likes this wine: 91 Points
Always a favourite. White peach. Floral notes.
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2/25/2023 - SwindonPaul Likes this wine: 92 Points
Delicious, rich, benchmark New World chardonnay. Could improve further in the next 1-2 years, but honestly, why wait?
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2/25/2023 - Japeck Likes this wine:
Good acidity - tinge of green? White fruit flavours; some creaminess/vanilla on the nose, though, on the palate, the fruit is well-integrated with the acidity. Oak-notes quite subdued. Delicious now, and will probably improve over the next year or so.
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1/4/2023 - fussyeater Does not like this wine:
Reductive nose, rather thin and clipped on the midpalate and generally not my cup of tea at all. I cannot find anything I like about it. A chore to finish. Yet the host who kindly shared the half bottle, remarked upon how good it was.
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12/14/2022 - MattHo wrote: 91 Points
Good at the price, vibrant and good all rounder. Still very fresh, it will be interesting to see how this develops.
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11/15/2022 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine: 89 Points
Struck match, lemon and white peach. Vanilla and gentle spice. Elegant and balanced on the palate, a touch of creaminess, taut acidity with a saline note and a long finish. Present but not heavy and will probably improve with age. Lovely.
Spontaneous fermentation of hand-picked grapes, whole-bunch pressed. 100% barrel fermentation in 20% new French oak and 100% malolactic fermentation with 11 months maturation in barrel.
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11/3/2022 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 91 Points
Aromas of peach blossom, bright, clean tropical fruit, salted lemon and toasty oak. Intense.
A crisp, clean linear squeaky fresh Chardonnay that is sweet on the entry but whose veins run a dry lemon and lime freshness.
Rich in the mid-palate, the wine is linear with clarity and poise. The long finish unwinds with a vanilla peach custard with melba toast, dried pineapple and a chalky edge. Delicious!
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10/27/2022 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 89 Points
This is good, but feels incomplete and in a dumb stage. Fruit is good, perhaps a bit custardy. Acid is there, though a bit muddled. There's just a lack of energy at the moment, but after 40 min in glass this started to break through and open up. I'm going to wait another year and see what happens.
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10/17/2022 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 91 Points
Slightly bigger than my tastes dictate, but very nice with outstanding QPR. 13.5%
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10/15/2022 - salarvcj Likes this wine:
Another lovely bottle, went beautifully with Hairy Bikers baked cod with chorizo crumb.
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10/14/2022 - MarcPal Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great QPR chardonnay, a little oakier than its hunting hill or maté counterparts but still nicely balanced.
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10/12/2022 - BCJ99 wrote: 91 Points
Lot of fresh fruit, citrus, apple, stone fruits, and some flinty notes in addition to some toast, cheese and a slight hint of kerosine. Needs air to open up but shows very good complexity with great acid structure
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10/6/2022 - WineTally Likes this wine:
100% Chardonnay
from six vineyard sites around the Kumeu region.
Manual harvest. Whole-bunch pressed. Spontaneous fermentation
with indigenous yeast, and maturation in barrel (20% new).
100% malolactic. Aged 11 months in old French oak barrels.
13.5% Abv.
Background: Mick and Katé Brajkovich arrived from Croatia in 1937.
Succeeded by son Maté in 1949 as as San Marino Vineyards.
Maté (d. 1992) and wife Melba had four children who ran Kumeu River
Wines since 1986. Rays Road Vineyard in Hawkes Bay was acquired in 2017.
Proprietors: Brajkovich Family: Melba, Michael, Milan, Marijann, Paul
Winemaker: Michael Brajkovich MW
A(ccuracy)=2: Bright gold/yellow. Slight reduction.
B(alance)=3: Ripe fruit with fine acid structure.
C(omplexity)=2: Citrus, peach, pear, cream, spicy oak.
D(epth)=1: Savory mouthfeel. Average length and finish/
Wine Tally Score [2,3,2,1] = 8/10
Consistent with Kumeu River's established style.
For story-telling label graphics, see:
[https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm9eV5GS8Ud/]
[https://www.facebook.com/WineTally/]
For video explanation (in 8 languages), see
Wine Tally on [https://www.youtube.com]
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9/11/2022 - auldalliance Likes this wine:
Description below of good white Burgundy but a bit more tropical covers it off. Ready to drink now but will improve....the 2014 is really quite like a nice village St Aubin or even a Puligny right now.
This still has the upfront fruit, but it didn't have the initial SO2 hit that others have had...it blows off quickly.
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9/6/2022 - Bobexile Likes this wine: 92 Points
Reminded me of decent white Burgundy but a little more tropical. Looks beautifully glossy and shiny in the glass, noticeably textured in the mouth from a little time on its lees. Hints of pineapple with stronger flavours of coconut and a little honey. Full-bodied but that's balanced beautifully by the acidity that keeps things fresh. Long finish. Very well made, beautifully balanced. This is a seriously enjoyable wine and unlikely to improve much, so feel free to drink up.
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9/5/2022 - Madera16 Likes this wine:
This is banging chardonnay. Light color, almost with a touch of green. Only the tiniest edge of reduction, paired with ripe, ripe pineapple, ripe fruits, searing acid, and overal complex yet balanced and with high intensity. Very classy, very polished, very good. Wow.
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8/18/2022 - redders Likes this wine: 90 Points
A gloriously sunny day at Lords watching the test match. Perfect accompaniment to the picnic. Rich and ripe with noticeable oak but a good cut of acidity to keep it clean.
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8/1/2022 - Sinclelz wrote: 91 Points
Seriously classy juice this. Grapefruit zest, vanilla, butter and toast. Creamy mouthfeel but still beautifully poised. Suspect this one will have a good few years in it.
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7/31/2022 - Marc wrote: 92 Points
Impressive chardonnay with minerals, mealy complexity and a bracing, sophisticated structure. Just a baby, although showing a lot of finesse and style for its young age.
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7/16/2022 - ran.shoham Likes this wine: 92 Points
Shortly put: Extremely tasty!
Very elegant, clean, good acidity, long finish.
Couldn't stop drinking.
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6/30/2022 - Nebbiolo75 Likes this wine: 93 Points
100% Chardonnay, pale yellow color, complex aromas of citrus, stone fruits and toast, on the palate, medium bodied, ripe stone fruits, ccomplex, well structured, lingering citric finish, lovely chardonnay, great bargain!
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6/15/2022 - mjgkng Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent vintage. Fragrant, rich and earthy.
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6/7/2022 - Dankin Likes this wine: 92 Points
very good balance. Good Freshness. very good qpr
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5/24/2022 - MattHo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rich, textured. Great accompaniment to family Easter meal - enjoyed by all.
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5/22/2022 - mjgkng Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rich, fragrant and clean. Excellent vintage.
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5/19/2022 - BGK810 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Absolutely delicious! Rich pear and apple flavors enveloped in oak and great acidity. Perfect match with a pork fried rice.
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5/18/2022 - belfast taxman wrote: 86 Points
Hopefully just an off bottle as I realise my score does not fit with previous reviewers. I found this wine had a noticeable and unpleasant acidic streak which upset the balance making an ultra lean wine. So possibly flawed, also possibly opened just at the wrong moment. Another five to go so we shall see.
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4/30/2022 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:
At a party at Sydenham. Grilled nuts and vanilla, citrus, good body and generosity but fresh with it. Enjoyed.
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3/24/2022 - Frijole wrote:
light yellow, lots of clarity, silvery hue
Nose: white nectarine, green apple, white pepper, brioche, lemon, wax, minerals, touch oak
Pal: peach, green apple, white pepper, brioche, lime rind, touch tangerine, wax, minerals, oak
Feel: full, savory, acidic
Finish: medium, long
T9
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3/19/2022 - mjgkng Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rich texture with hints of green grapes and lemon. Excellent vintage.
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3/18/2022 - Marc wrote: 92 Points
Friends from Wanaka brave the drive to the wilds of Queensberry (Wanaka Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand): Fabulous tonight, and a wonderful match with a buttery and sweet corn soup with shellfish oil. The intense concentration, mealiness, and tight nature of the elevage both contrasted and echoes the flavours and textures of the dish. The KR estate is clearly a step above the excellent village wine, and shows fabulous class. Structured and still very young, but a rich dish will bring it out of its shell.
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3/17/2022 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Kumeu is a very reliable producer of a "lemon, minerals, match stick, Meursault like" creamy yet fresh Chardonnay. This wine is no different, very good and very good QPR. You can see why they have such a following.
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12/31/2021 - salarvcj Likes this wine: 90 Points
Lovely nose of apples, quince and a hint of lemon. Beautifully fresh and quite long on the palate. Drank a glass on its own pre dinner and the rest of the bottle with pan fried monkfish in a ginger garlic and tomato sauce. The food flavours were a little too big for the wine but the acidity and dry minerality shone through. A lovely bottle to drink now or hold.
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12/18/2021 - VinoCast wrote: 82 Points
Wife enjoyed it more than I.
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12/18/2021 - bubblewitz Likes this wine: 89 Points
Pear, mineral, creamy
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11/6/2021 - Geoff7777 wrote:
Ignore previous note. Bottle 2 and day 2 and this is fabulous. Skilful Wine making in show, and stylistically a blend of the Kumeu vineyard wines. Better day 2, load up, I did.
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11/3/2021 - Gail and Len Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rich, no oak, wonderful. Burgundian.
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11/2/2021 - Geoff7777 wrote:
First of a six pack. Pale lemon in colour with a nose of nectarine, other white stone fruits, smoke and barrel spice. Generously wide plummy mid palate then smoke, bacon and spice in the long finish. The structure is to keep but the mid palate is rich and fruit-forward, so a crowd pleaser. Excellent value but not my style. Happy to pay the premium for the Kumeu vineyard range and if pricing gap is too steep try the Rays Road, which I suspect is a better value play.
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10/17/2021 - Hinks wrote:
An easy drinker. Soft citrus good with friends
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10/7/2021 - HowardNZ Likes this wine: 91 Points
Two glasses drunk at Shed 5, note written from memory. Creamy, citric with pear and a little melon. Generous and structured but balanced and precise. Some vanillin oak yet to integrate. A worthy successor to the excellent 2019, it may even be better. Ideally give it until 2023+.
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9/29/2021 - Marc wrote: 91 Points
Drunk the night after the 2020 Coddington, this is certainly a less-concentrated, less polished example, but it is still an outstanding example of the vintage for KR. 100% barrel ferment, 100% malolactic, this has a lot of layered depth, but still retains a beautiful focus and bright acid core.
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9/14/2021 - GTFreek wrote:
Medium plus nose is floral, lemon zest, flint, wet rock, white pear. Palate gives crisp style, Chard notes of green apple, pear, dried vanilla, but unChard like structure in med plus acidity, balanced alcohol. Finish gives more New World style in the fruit notes, adds some spice. Very nicely balanced.
100% malo, 100% barrel ferment, 11 months oak. ABV 14%.
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9/13/2021 - Beerzebub Likes this wine:
Mealy and 'flinty' mineral aroma, with cool orchard and citrus fruits, and coffee-like, nutty, spicy oak accents, fairly moderate; it works. Round, fleshy, dense texture, lifted by good acidity. Fresh, delicious/moreish, and with depth and substance. Lingering stony mineral undercurrent. Firing on all cylinders really. Good stuff, and a terrific value.
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8/28/2021 - Marc wrote: 92 Points
With time in the glass, and a chance to warm up slightly, this wine offered an extremely classy and complete expression of Chardonnay. Impeccable wine making, great fruit quality, with a sense of opulence allied to a mealy structure that was outstanding. 2020 was clearly a great vintage for KR, and this wine certainly offers a step up in quality from the village wine (which should be bought by the case in this vintage). This will improve over the near-medium term. Superb.
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7/19/2021 - Shrewsram Likes this wine: 92 Points
Attractive oak, meal, flint/smoke. Citrus and white fruits, floral too with some grilled pineapple and melon. LOTS here!
Ample, broad and textured, lots of flavour, some citrus and wood oils, a little tannin, and long mealy notes. Long and intense.
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7/15/2021 - Shrewsram Likes this wine: 91 Points
13.5% vol
Super purity and freshness, again showing a delicacy and sweet succulence, subtle yet persistently perfumed notes of sweet apple and blossom. Great precision.
Nice weight and richness, more oak apparent and a touch of flint. Lovely citrus edge, some (oak) grip. Bright and fresh, great energy, super texture, long and mealy. Looking forward to trying this again tomorrow.
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