WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - "The nose on this 2022 Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay leads with candied bananas, pineapple husk, white peach and a hint of lychee, and the edges of the aromatics are feathered with preserved citrus, brine, curry leaf and apple skins. In the mouth, the wine is powered by supercharged fruit; it is crystalline in its way, an attribute that I have long-since associated with the Chardonnays from Kumeu River. The flavor is sapid and palate-staining, with just enough salt and savory spices in the fruit to make it super complex as well as powerful. It is precisely folded like origami, each crease in service of the overall shape. A wine that offers much and assumes nothing. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap."
The Chardonnays produced by Kumeu River are not just among the best wines from New Zealand, they are some of the best Chardonnays in the world. In fact, the Kumeu River wines out-performed their old world counterparts in a recent blind tasting by fourteen wine professionals. Neal Martin of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and Decanter Magazine’s Jancis Robinson were among the judges who participated. Afterwards, Martin called the Kumeu River wines, “White Burgundy in Kiwi clothing.” Jancis Robinson was inspired to pen an article for Decanter in which she wrote, “A blind tasting comparing Kumeu River Chardonnays with fine white Burgundies suggests they can more than hold their own.”
Kumeu River’s success is not surprising as winemaker Michael Brajkovich learned his craft in Burgundy and is inspired by the wines made from this renowned terroir. He makes his family’s wines including the Mate’s Chardonnay with painstaking attention to detail. The grapes are hand harvested, whole-bunch pressed and barrel fermented in French barriques with indigenous yeast. The Mate’s Chardonnay is approachable now, but capable of aging as well. The Burgundian–inspired wines from Kumeu River are well worth your time and money at a fraction of the price for wines of comparable quality.
The Chardonnays produced by Kumeu River are not just among the best wines from New Zealand, they are some of the best Chardonnays in the world. In fact, the Kumeu River wines out-performed their old world counterparts in a recent blind tasting by fourteen wine professionals. Neal Martin of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and Decanter Magazine’s Jancis Robinson were among the judges who participated. Afterwards, Martin called the Kumeu River wines, “White Burgundy in Kiwi clothing.” Jancis Robinson was inspired to pen an article for Decanter in which she wrote, “A blind tasting comparing Kumeu River Chardonnays with fine white Burgundies suggests they can more than hold their own.”
Kumeu River’s success is not surprising as winemaker Michael Brajkovich learned his craft in Burgundy and is inspired by the wines made from this renowned terroir. He makes his family’s wines including the Mate’s Chardonnay with painstaking attention to detail. The grapes are hand harvested, whole-bunch pressed and barrel fermented in French barriques with indigenous yeast. The Mate’s Chardonnay is approachable now, but capable of aging as well. The Burgundian–inspired wines from Kumeu River are well worth your time and money at a fraction of the price for wines of comparable quality.
Overall Rating
0 out of 5 Based on 0 Review
