Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay 2023

Cellar for up to 10 years. Serve chilled. Although today the Kumeu River winery enjoys international respect for their elegant Burgundy-style Chardonnays, behind this success lies years of backbreaking work and uncertainty. Their story began back in 1937 when Mick and Katé Brajkovich left their small village in Croatia to create a new life in New Zealand. By working long hours for other farmers in the area the couple slowly they saved up money to create their own winery in 1944 which is now in the capable hands of the third generation of Brajkovichs. Although the estate sits in one of New Zealand’s most northerly wine regions, the proximity of both the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean create cooler conditions well-suited to producing lively white wines from Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. For their Estate Chardonnay the Brajkovich family selects and hand harvests the very best grapes from six different vineyard sites in Kumeu. They then ferment the Chardonnay in oak barrels for a total of 11 months. The result is a rich, velvety-textured Chardonnay which exudes enchanting aromas and flavours of white peaches, lemon zest, and hints of delicate minerality. This is a wine which will reward extended cellaring and it will continue to develop and evolve over the coming decade.

Price: £27.18 from 8wines UK