Kumeu River Masterclass

Hosted by winemaker Michael Brajkovich. Michael was well spoken and informative. An excellent experience.

• 2009 Kumeu River Chardonnay Village 87 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu

  Pale lemon colour. Bright fresh nose. High acid, fresh and simple. Well made wine for early casual drinking.

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• 2009 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate 92 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu

  Pale gold. Beautiful nose. A big step up from the Village. Well balanced and integrated elements of oak and lees. Good body, medium + length. Nose better than the palate at this stage. Should improve with time in bottle.

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• 2010 Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin La Princée Blanc 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin

  White flower and lemon nose. Steely, mineral flintiness and fresh acid on the palate. A reasonably interesting wine. Probably a bit young at this stage.

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• 2009 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill 93 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu

  Pale gold. Whiteflower, lemon, and some sweet notes on the nose. An intricate and delicate wine with freshness and a great line. Will improve well with some time in bottle.

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• 2009 Kumeu River Chardonnay Coddington 93 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu

  Smokey, toasty oak with fresh peachy chardonnay fruit on nose. Good weighty palate and reasonably long finish. High quality in a more heavily worked style than the other Kumeu's. Enjoyed this a lot.

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• 2009 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard 91 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu

  Pale gold. Nose seemed somewhat muted, with some sulphur/stuck match notes. Perhaps somewhere between the Coddington and Hunting Hill in style, but to me the others were more enjoyable, at least at this early stage in the wines development.

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• 2010 Domaine Jacques Carillon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Macherelles 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Pale straw. Very shut down musty-old-closet nose. Reasonable length and complexity, but lacking a bit of fruit. Needs time, but not sure if it will come around.

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• 2006 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill 94 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu

  Medium gold. Beautiful developing nose. Delicious wine with poise, balance, and some complexity. A rich wine but richness is balanced with good acid and fruit sweetness, still present in the wine. Wonderful, lingering finish. Wine of the night for me.

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• 2006 Kumeu River Chardonnay Coddington 92 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu

  Compared to the Hunting Hill which, comparing the 09 and 06, appears to improve considerably with bottle age, the Coddington was probably more enjoyable in it's youth. Still a delicious wine with a smoky richness.

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• 2004 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate 90 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu

  Medium gold. Nose showing full development. Has aged pretty well but something just not quite in full balance. Shows that the Estate can certainly hold its own with age, but based on this tasting my preference would be to drink these about 4-5 yrs post-vintage.

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• 2004 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard 93 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu

  Again medium gold, with developed nose. This has aged nicely and is drinking very well now. A good long rich finish. An excellent wine.

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All of the KR estate and vineyard chardonnays were of very high quality. As a group they tended to be refined, with balance and style. Although they are given the full treatment of oak, lees aging and MLF, they have enough natural acid and fruit intensity to soak it all up and remain fresh and light-footed.