2018 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (35) Avg Score: 92 points

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  3/30/2024 - Wine_Hoarder Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Better on day 2 after a vacuum pump and fridge overnight. On day 1 the acidity was poking out but on day 2 the fruit / reductive / oak elements had come alive leading to a much more balanced experience. Also much better 60 mins out of the fridge. Drink with a long decant / wait 2 years.

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  12/29/2023 - stayhappy21 wrote: 90 Points

  Drank this at Kai Garden for a wine dinner with my wine mates. Theme of the evening: A wine to end the year with.
  
  Pale gold in colour. Notes of dried sour plums and ripe pineapples, red apples, with a slight tinge of oiliness on the palate. Clean crisp finish. Can almost taste the steel tanks that the wines were fermented in.
  
  Compares favourably to the Dog Point Chardonnay which I had the pleasure to indulge in several couple of times.

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  12/16/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Just to reiterate the note fom a couple of months ago, this is outstanding and comptetes with the prestige white Burgundy wines. My only frustration is that there is a limited allocation in Ireland. 94+

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  11/27/2023 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:

  Aromatically this shows mostly tropical fruit along with ripe apple, mineral, a touch of toasty oak. Really lovely and varietally correct without too much oak influence.
  Full body, viscous, almost oily texture, with med acidity and low+ tannin.
  This clearly is not from Burgundy or California but that’s not a bad thing. It’s an absolutely delicious Chardonnay that has its own style.
  The only negative for me is the finish seems clipped despite the rich round texture. Theres a touch of astringency that lingers.
  Enjoy now and ovet the next 5+ years.

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  10/8/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points

  First time of tasting and part of my exploration of new world Chardonnays, this matches Grand Cru Burgundys. It is absolutely top rate and absolutely ready to go, but definitely with a long life ahead of it. Peach and burnt lemon on the nose and palate lend a real roundness to the wine, but with an exceptional acidity and balance. Likewise the finish is top notch. 94+

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