KUMEU RIVER
2023 Chardonnay Ray's Road
Grapes | Chardonnay |
Colour | White |
Origin | New Zealand, North Island |
District | Hawkes Bay |
ABV | 13% |
Vineyard | Ray's Road |
It's amazing that a 2023 Chardonnay Rays Road was even made, considering Cyclone Gabrielle left many homes and vineyards underwater or even washed them away. At 180m, the vineyard at Rays Road escaped flooding but not the rain. It's a tight, spritely wine with a freshly squeezed lemon on papaya and nectarine flavor. The crisp yet ripe fruit is followed up with bracing acidity that pierces its core and pushes it through. No new oak here, leaving the fruit to shine. Moderate length. Drinking range: 2025 - 2033 Rating: 88 Rebecca Gibb MW - Vinous.com (Sept 2024)
12 | ||
*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 Purchased in 2017, this site was originally a Trinity Hill vineyard, and the newer plantings seem to perform better than the original plantings, so the newer fruit tends to make it into this wine while the older vines head to the Village. Decent elevation saved this wine during the cyclone, and the fruit ended up being bright, edgy and talcy. This is a keen-edged wine but lacks the drive and length of the Kumeu-based creations. Rating: 17/20 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Sep 2024)
A tight, focused and dense white. Sliced cooked apples, minerals and stone, with hints of dried mangoes. It’s medium-bodied and focused with a flavorful finish. Lime undertones. Drink or hold. Rating: 94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Aug 2024)
Taut and lean, there is a subtle, yet noticeable layer of new oak, a feature that I haven’t seen in previous vintages. Brajkovich explained he chose to introduce some new oak in 2023, with part of the blend aged in the barrels from the tonnellerie favoured by Dauvissat. Oyster shell and yellow grapefruit with a strong acid spine.The chalky texture is very attractive Drinking range: 2025 - 2030 Rating: *** 93 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.
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