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Buy OnlineThis Chardonnay from the incredibly accomplished and internationally revered Chardonnay producer, Kumeu River continues to receive impressive press around the world. The 'baby' Chardonnay in the Kumeu range now includes fruit from Kumeu's Rays Road vineyard in Hawkes Bay. It has always offered great value, and the 2025 is no exception. Not a big Chardonnay, just big on deliciousness!
Winery notes (2025 Vintage)
"This is a wine where we always have a bottle in the fridge. The perfect aperitif Chardonnay, it's a wine that pairs very well with all types of seafood. Produced from grapes grown in Kumeu 42% and Hawkes Bay 58% this wine was fermented 38% in old French oak barrels, and 62% in stainless steel tanks. The barrel fermentation provides some richness but very little oak influence. Combined with the tank fermentation this allows the vibrant fruit to show through beautifully with lively lime and lemon aromas and a flinty, mineral palate with hints of fig and white peach.
The 2025 Vintage gave us outstanding quality, both in Kumeu and Hawkes Bay, with beautiful fruit aroma, flavour and concentration. Our own Rays Road vineyard in Hawkes Bay made up 32% of the final blend, which gives the wine a distinctive limestone edginess. The moderate alcohol level of 13.3% gives freshness with a lovely flinty texture. The citrus elements of Chardonnay shine through with a refreshingly crisp acid finish. This wine is delightful as an aperitif, and even better to drink with seafood.
Indigenous yeast fermentation – 100% malo-lactic fermentation – 38% Barrel fermentation – (5 year old + French oak barriques) – 62% Tank fermentation."
Reviews for the 2024 vintage below…
92/100 Erin Larkin, RobertParker.com, Wine Advocate, March 2025 (2024 Vintage)
"The 2024 Village Chardonnay had just been freshly bottled when I tasted it at the estate in Kumeu in March 2025. The other 2024 Chardonnays were tasted as tank samples prior to filtration and bottling soon. The wine leads with yellow citrus and crushed shells. It is texturally fine, sleek and tightly coiled around a core of salty acidity. It is complex but composed and very good."
