World class: two words loaded with import and used too liberally these days. Apropos of Kumeu River’s Chardonnays, those two words are apt. My expectations were high coming into this tasting and I did not depart disappointed, thanks to consistency and quality. No wonder Kumeu has such a devoted following. The tasting revealed my predilection for Hunting Hill, which stood out in many of the flights, closely followed by Maté’s Vineyard. Maybe I am less enthused by Coddington. It is a pity that Kumeu River may lose this vineyard, and being constrained by 12-month contracts risks impeding long-term investment, but in my view their two strongest single cuvées will remain. To reiterate, prices mean that in terms of value for money, these Chardonnays (available through Farr Vintners in the UK and Wilson Daniels in the United States) are almost unbeatable. Since the early days of the New Zealand wine industry, Kumeu River has been the standard-bearer for Chardonnay. They have not diversified too much or expanded into other New Zealand wine regions – at least not until recently, with their new project in Hawke’s Bay. For me, their signature will always be Chardonnay. When the Brajkovich family was given a canvas upon which to paint their own expression of this grape variety, they decided to create a masterpiece. Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2019)