Kumeu River

'Estate' Chardonnay 2025

Produced by the Brajkovich family at Kumeu River Wines, founded in 1944 and one of New Zealand's most celebrated Chardonnay estates. The fruit is drawn from six vineyard sites across the Kumeu region, whose cloud-covered, maritime microclimate lends long, even ripening and real precision. Hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed, the wine is wild-fermented in French oak, taken through full malolactic fermentation and matured for eleven months in barrel. The result is fragrant and toasty on the nose, with white peach, grapefruit, smoked almond and a whisper of anise and honey. The palate is bright and layered, offering almond creaminess and juicy citrus balanced by Kumeu's hallmark refreshing acidity. Elegant, concentrated and built with real ageing potential, it stands among the finest expressions the estate has produced in the past decade, reflecting the Brajkovich family's Burgundian-influenced winemaking philosophy.