2023 KUMEU RIVER Chardonnay Coddington, Lea & Sandeman

KUMEU RIVER

2023 Chardonnay Coddington

IN STOCK
Grapes Chardonnay
Colour White
Origin New Zealand, North Island
ABV 13%
Vineyard Coddington

The 2023 Chardonnay Coddington provides its typical rounder shape and comforting suppleness despite being clearly lighter in concentration and richness than in recent years. At just 12.6% alcohol, it's bright and fresh, with a zestiness pervading its core. It's balanced (when isn't a Kumeu River?), but it's done in a lighter, zipper, citrus-driven style with no new oak. The lees contact is all important here in imbuing it with mid-palate texture. Drinking range: 2024 - 2032 Rating: 89 Rebecca Gibb MW - Vinous.com (Sept 2024)

*Case price discount: Mix any 12 bottles of wine (or 9 litre equivalent) or 6 bottles of Champagne, Spirits, Sweet Wine or Fortified (4.5 litres) to get the discounted 'case price' for each bottle.

100% barrel fermentation (5+ year old+ French oak Barriques), 16% tank fermentation: 12.6% alc. Often a rich and full-bodied wine, this vineyard is under lease at the moment, and the Brajkovich family are looking to bring it into the fold. There is no new oak used here, and yet the one and two-year-old barrels cradle the fruit perfectly. There is a hint of peach skin and pineapple husk, and yet it is not as exotic as 2022, and this means I prefer its demeanour and apple skin and lime juice stance. Still a puppy, the acidity is firm and controlling, and there is clearly a lot more to come here. You can attack early, particularly if you are curious, and it will not let you down, but I feel that three or four years from now, it will start to unravel when the acidity loosens its grip, and the full array of fruit will be apparent. Rating: 18+/20 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Sep 2024)

The complexity and flintiness are so enticing, with sliced apples, lemons, minerals and gunpowder. Full-bodied, dense and intense, with subtle brioche, cooked lemon and apple notes. Racy and steely but with richness underneath. Some lemongrass. So complex. Drink or hold. Screw cap. Rating: 95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Aug 2024)

I always love this wine and despite the vintage tribulations, the Coddington retains its signature vineyard character, one of generousness and exuberance. Ripe and rich, within the context of the vintage, more open than the tightly wound Hunting Hill. There is a little ripe stonefruit, some biscuit and cream. Drinking range: 2025 - 2030 Rating: **** 94 Jasper Morris - Inside Burgundy  (May 2024)

Kumeu River

From the pioneering days to the establishment of the New Zealand wine industry to today, the Brajkovich family have been internationally recognised as producing world class wine. The Brajkovich family continue to harvest their grapes at Kumeu and refine their wine making skills.

The Brajkovichs are nationally recognised as a founding family of the New Zealand wine industry, and the current generation are internationally recognised as producing world class Chardonnay.

Just as the Brajkovich family has grown, so too has the winery itself. Extensions and additions mark the milestones that have seen business adapt and expand over the years. Today, the winery produces around 250,000 bottles annually from 30 hectares of its own vineyards in Kumeu, and another 10 hectares from local growers.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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