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Buy OnlineThe Brajkovich family have carved out a reputation second to none for Chardonnay and every new release adds to that reputation.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate
"If you can taste history, duty, and family pride in a glass, it’s there in the Kumeu River Chardonnays… now producing some of New Zealand’s greatest Chardonnays, not to mention the world’s."
Winery notes (2024 Vintage)
"Rays Road is Kumeu River’s new vineyard site in Hawkes Bay. This limestone hillside is at 180 m altitude, with a northerly aspect. It is dry-farmed to yield high quality grapes for wine under the Rays Road name for our Kumeu River label. This Chardonnay was hand-harvested, whole bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeast in older French Oak barrels to give a wine that is zesty and fragrant, with mineral complexity that is very true to its site."
Michael Brajkovich MW, Winemaker notes (2024 Vintage)
"The 2024 vintage in Hawkes Bay was excellent even though yields were down to 50% of usual. We have seen dramatic improvement from this vineyard each year since we bought it in 2017. The ripeness and richness from 2024 has given us a Rays Road Chardonnay with more depth and texture than we have seen over the last few years . This is another step up again from the 2023 Rays Road Chardonnay. The aromas are peachier this year although the distinctive flint, and zesty limestone characters are still there. The palate is showing more density and concentration than previous vintages and this is setting up to be a very fine Chardonnay vineyard. For the first time with Rays Road this feels like it needs bottle age. We are looking forward to following its development while consuming many bottles in the process!"
93+/100 Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, August 2025 (2024 Vintage)
"Here’s a juicy and flavoursome expression of Chardonnay. Lots of peach, ripe lime, honey biscuits. aniseed and spice. It fairly bursts with peach and lime, though the acidity is tight and balanced, and it feels quite flinty, has some glycerol richness and finishes zesty and fruity with excellent length and a chalky flourish. Very tasty. Needs a year or so to calm its farm, though there’s no problem enjoying its flavour-packed charm now either."
92-94/100 Erin Larkin, RobertParker.com, June 2025 (2024 Vintage)
"The 2024 Rays Road Chardonnay leads with a spicy, almost exotic nose, while the palate strides in smooth, sleek movements. This is creamy and a little nutty, and there are wet limestone notes in the mouth, alongside yellow citrus and layers of dried herbs, cracked fennel seeds, ginger root and fruit flavors. A lovely wine, it's weighted on the back palate and long through the finish. I tasted this as a tank sample prior to filtration and bottling."
David Walker Bell, WineFolio.co.nz, July 2025 (2024 Vintage)
"Rays Road Chardonnay has a tense chalkiness showing the limestone terroir, but it certainly now shows a richness of fruit that wasn’t evident in the first couple of vintages. The underlying minerality is clear, but with the ripe citrus fruit and power through the palate it’s very balanced and elegant. Acidity is a key factor with this wine, and it has a zesty salinity through to a finish that is clean, fine and lengthy."
