Kumeu Maté's Vineyard Chardonnay 2024 - 75cl

Kumeu River Maté's Vineyard Chardonnay is a distinguished single-vineyard white wine produced by Kumeu River Wines in New Zealand, renowned for its exceptional quality and historical significance. This Chardonnay originates from Maté's Vineyard, which was replanted in 1990 by Maté Brajkovich on land originally acquired by the Brajkovich family in 1944. The vineyard, now 35 years old, yields grapes that embody the site's unique terroir, with the first harvest from the replanted vines occurring in 1993 and the inaugural release in 1994 to commemorate the family's 50th anniversary at Kumeu River.

The winemaking process adheres to traditional Burgundian techniques, involving hand-harvesting, whole-bunch pressing, indigenous yeast fermentation, 100% barrel fermentation in French oak, full malolactic fermentation, and 11 months of maturation in barrels. This results in a wine with an alcohol content of 12.5% by volume, presented in a 750ml bottle.

For the 2024 vintage, the wine exhibits a mouth-filling and full-bodied profile, characterized by notable density, concentration, and length. It features an extra crisp lemon acidity, with aromas that are initially subtle on the nose but promise to evolve into complex bouquets with bottle age. Recognized as the most powerful among Kumeu River's single-vineyard Chardonnays in this release, it has earned a score of 95-97 points from wine critic Erin Larkin, drawing comparisons in quality to esteemed vintages such as 2022, 2020, and 2014.