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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.4 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 63 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by dcbell on 4/22/2024 & rated 93 points: Quite a bready, pastry filled nose with ripe stone fruit, peach and apricot. Some reductive struck match type notes, a little gunsmoke and broken rocks the same register. Intense and attractive. Palate continues in the same ilk, rich yet lithe and quite a lot of complexity and length with a spice box kick in the mid palate - nutmeg maybe. A little chew makes it very food friendly but it’s supremely balanced regardless. Such good VFM in the context of world class Chardonnay. (163 views) | | | Tasted by foyfrcs on 4/7/2024 & rated 90 points: Still drinking very well almost 2 years down the line from the previous tasting.
Toast, tropical fruits still evident.
Well balanced, medium acidity.
I get the impression that this will be fine for another 3/4 years. (243 views) | | | Tasted by PT insurgent on 3/30/2024: Tasty wine, wood notes, reduction, fruit all come together. Zero idea how this will age w/ the screw cap. (281 views) | | | Tasted by kingkanu on 1/1/2024: Some struck match on the nose, quite a good white burgundy impression, this was really impressive for the level and price, worth cellaring for a few years if that’s what you like (509 views) | | | Tasted by df1988 on 11/4/2023 & rated 92 points: Very nice with blue cheese, radicchio and pancetta pasta. The french oak is quite palpable but not in a bad way. I got more lemon than lime. Lovely. (585 views) | | | Tasted by auldalliance on 9/22/2023: LAst bottle....this will go on for a good bit yet though. Pineapple and oak at first, quickly moving to stone fruit. Refreshing and good balance of fruit and acidity. Finished the last glass 5 days later and it was just as good, a little more mineral and less fruit maybe. (675 views) | | | Tasted by olracx62 on 6/22/2023 & rated 92 points: a great chardonnay from the New World with notes of vanilla and butter but also lime and peche in an ensamble that delivers full taste and true pleasantness. In a lonely night at Chiavari waiting for tomorrow to please and two days after, after a long haul bike ride to Centocroci and Passo del Bocco via Tarsogno. (710 views) | | | Tasted by Chris Davies on 12/12/2022 & rated 89 points: Touch young and suspect it will improve but drinking fine now. 3.5 (1140 views) | | | Tasted by Pey2001 on 5/6/2022: Very delicious. A bit reticent on the nose, hints of pith and a buttery whiff. Nice prickliness on the tongue, bit of grassiness, followed by lemon and lime notes, and a rich but integrated oak hint. Very fresh and delicious wine, with a nice lick of bitterness and acid well balanced. Fresh and long for an entry level wine. Great QPR. (1585 views) | | | Tasted by Luke275 on 4/11/2022: Started off austere with lemon notes on the nose. With air it broadened out to become lemony with creamy buttery note. Really lovely and very well balanced. Excellent QPR. (1487 views) | | | Tasted by chibaken on 3/5/2022 & rated 92 points: Lemon, Struck match with a hint to the richness underneath. Endearing grapefruit note offsets a full mouthfeel that combined provides wonderful tension. Superlative to any Macon at this price (1559 views) | | | Tasted by foyfrcs on 2/27/2022 & rated 90 points: This is still drinking very well.
Apple, quince, toast nose.
Crisp, dry, medium acidity. (1467 views) | | | Tasted by Darbus123 on 2/25/2022 & rated 91 points: Lemon, struck match and impressive length and intensity given the price. For me in its drinking window. One to buy year in year out. (404 views) | | | Tasted by auldalliance on 2/5/2022: Lighter colour than some other vintages. Usual SO2 'rush' when opened, which blows off quickly.
Well integrated, balanced wine. Fruit is there, stone fruit dominant, perhaps a bit of sweeter apple and some hint of tropical fruit, but not as much as some vintages. Oak is discreet, good 'spine' to this wine, with a crisp acidity in play. This is better than the 2016, and up there with the 2014. Long finish. Will repay further keeping but delicious now. (1369 views) | | | Tasted by onboisduvin on 6/23/2021 & rated 91 points: Fresh and full of fruits. Not oaky nor mineral. Great value. (1824 views) | | | Tasted by kiwi64 on 1/24/2021 & rated 92 points: great value Chardonnay , very lively in the bottle. will continue to age well. (2118 views) | | | Tasted by foyfrcs on 1/2/2021 & rated 90 points: Similar comments to June 2020.
Maybe a hint of toast on the nose/palate.
Good wine, drinking well, RP (JC)suggests it will drink until 2026.
I will revisit towards the end of the year. (1825 views) | | | Tasted by Luke275 on 1/2/2021: Classic chardonnay, well integrated oak with lemon freshness and decent acidity (1731 views) | | | Tasted by 560 B&W on 11/21/2020 & rated 91 points: Lovely. Goes down way too easily for 13.5% (1864 views) | | | Tasted by kiwi64 on 10/2/2020 & rated 90 points: needs more time (1717 views) | | | Tasted by Bax62 on 7/31/2020: Consistent with previous notes, this is great QPR. (1691 views) | | | Tasted by Screwcaps on 6/17/2020 & rated 93 points: Improved greatly over an hour. A fuller style, underpinned by spice. Some honeyed age complexity creeping in. Love the white pepper tannin here. Now to 3 years. (1925 views) | | | Tasted by cbforever1 on 6/14/2020 & rated 91 points: Very fresh but at the same time rich and profound, great value for money, wonder how it will develop (1760 views) | | | Tasted by foyfrcs on 6/7/2020 & rated 90 points: Medium, lemon.
Green fruits, vanilla nose.
Well balanced, long finish.
Apples, pears, buttery.
Very good wine. (1761 views) | | | Tasted by cephomer on 6/2/2020 & rated 90 points: Nice, steely chard. Some citrus, good minerality, green apples abound. Great sipping wine with a lunch at the lake (1712 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Alistair Cooper MW
JancisRobinson.com (9/12/2019)
(Kumeu River, Estate Chardonnay Kumeu White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, To Paint A Picture: Kumeu River Chardonnay 2006-2017 (Feb 2019) (2/1/2019)
(Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate White) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (10/3/2018)
(Kumeu River Chardonnay Kumeu Estate, White, New Zealand) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (9/21/2018)
(Kumeu River, Estate Chardonnay Kumeu White) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (9/1/2018)
(Kumeu River Chardonnay Kumeu Estate, White, New Zealand) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and Vinous and JamesSuckling.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Kumeu River Producer website
U.S. Importer (source of add'l info)
At Kumeu River wines, our winemaking philosophy can be summarised in a single word. Quality. 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 and of winemaking.
Kumeu River's Chardonnays are our most recognised wine and have received international accolades and awards. We have invested heavily in the development of our Chardonnays over the past three decades, and it is very rewarding to see them continue to gain recognition and respect from highly regarded wine judges and reviewers.
An important part of the winemaking process of our best Chardonnays is barrel fermentation in a blend of new and old French oak barrels. This process draws out the flavour nuances that are so crucial to these fine wine styles. Only indigenous wild yeasts are used to further enhance the texture and complexity and this is also the case with our tank fermented Chardonnays and Pinot Gris.
Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate"Kumeu River Chardonnay is drawn from six different vineyard sites in the Kumeu Region. We are particularly careful in selecting only the very best grapes from these vineyards for our Kumeu River Estate label. The Estate Chardonnay from this vintage is ripe, rich, and beautifully concentrated. The beautiful peach and hazelnut aromas along with the rich silky texture are distinct characteristics that we expect to see from this wine. This wine will benefit greatly from a period of two to four years."
- Winery Notes - See more at:http://www.winedirect.co.nz/kumeu-river-estate-chardonnay-9088.html#sthash.wcxQs6nw.dpufChardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeEstateIn the United States, "Wines with “estate bottled” designations must: a) also designate an appellation of origin or an AVA, and both the vineyards and the winery must be located there; b) the grapes must come from vineyards owned or controlled by the winery; and c) the wine must have been produced, from crush to bottle, in a continuous process without leaving the winery’s premises."
- WINE LABEL FAQS: A QUICK SUMMARY OF LABEL DESIGNATION RULES" by David E. StollNew Zealand New Zealand Wine (New Zealand Winegrowers)North IslandHaving a cool factor is a great start.
When they were creating climate classifications for wine regions around the world, we weren’t exactly complaining that New Zealand’s was called ‘cool.’ Step out in the middle of the day on a classic Marlborough or Hawke’s Bay’s summer, and you may wonder if they got it right. The brightness is beautifully intense, and sunshine plentiful.
But stay about a little. Until nightfall. The shift from day to night isn’t just defined by light, but temperature too. It chills quickly. The South Pacific Ocean taking its deep breath over our two islands. For the grapes, this makes for more than a chilly night. Ripening is gradual, almost methodical. As each day edges the grape towards ripeness, each night captures its flavour.
This pattern creates one of the longest grape growing seasons on earth – and those unmistakable, remarkable zesty flavours, and fragrance that are the hallmark of our wines.

Sometimes the world really is your oyster.
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