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Kumeu River New Releases

One of our annual highlights, we are pleased to offer Kumeu River’s superb new 2023 Chardonnays, including the charming Estate Chardonnay and much-loved single vineyard wines. Head winemaker, Michael Brajkovich MW, is heavily influenced by the wines of Burgundy, with his learnings in France leaving a noticeable stamp on the Kumeu River portfolio. In blind tastings they have often been mistaken by top critics for some of the very best Burgundian whites, yet their modest prices belie their exceptional quality. Jancis Robinson MW notes that the estate has “an enviable reputation for seriously fine, age-worthy Chardonnays”, and, in his review of the 2023 vintage, Matthew Jukes praises this latest set of releases as "fascinating and beautifully refined."

2023 Kumeu River Rays Road Chardonnay - 6x75cl

  • White
  • 2024 - 2035
  • Kumeu River
  • 6x75cl
  • Kumeu, New Zealand
  • Available Now
Pricing
£95.00 In Bond £133.24 Duty Paid inc VAT

  • James Suckling, 16/6/24, Score: 94

    ...

  • James Suckling, 16/6/24, Score: 94

    ...

  • Matthew Jukes, 09/09/24, Score: 17/20

    Purchased in 2017, this site was originally a Trinity Hill vineyard, and the newer plantings seem to perform better than the original plantings, so the newer fruit tends to make it into this wine while the older vines head to the Village. Decent elevation saved this wine during the cyclone, and the fruit ended up being bright, edgy and talcy. This is a keen-edged wine but lacks the drive and length of the Kumeu-based creations.

  • JS5, 5/5/24, Score: 93

    Taut and lean, there is a subtle, yet noticeable layer of new oak, a feature that I haven’t seen in previous vintages. Brajkovich explained he chose to introduce some new oak in 2023, with part of the blend aged in the barrels from the tonnellerie favoured by Dauvissat. Oyster shell and yellow grapefruit with a strong acid spine.The chalky texture is very attractive. Drink from 2025 - 2030.

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Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.

2023 Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay - 6x75cl

  • White
  • Kumeu River
  • 6x75cl
  • Kumeu, New Zealand
  • Available Now
Pricing
£190.00 In Bond £247.24 Duty Paid inc VAT

  • James Suckling, 16/6/24, Score: 96

    Aromas of apples, white peaches and steel with hints of lemongrass, fresh basil, flint and white flowers. Medium- to full-bodied with a tight and dense center palate and a crunchy and flavorful finish. Energetic acidity. So fresh yet dense at the same time.

  • James Suckling, 16/6/24, Score: 96

    Aromas of apples, white peaches and steel with hints of lemongrass, fresh basil, flint and white flowers. Medium- to full-bodied with a tight and dense center palate and a crunchy and flavorful finish. Energetic acidity. So fresh yet dense at the same time.

  • Matthew Jukes, 09/09/24, Score: 18.5+/20

    First planted in 1982 (and replanted in 2021), this is a super-important wine in the portfolio and is always one of my preferred wines. In 2023, the fruit seems terrifically controlled and ordered, and this formality adds a degree of flair and knowing to the experience. This is one of the wines that regularly sits in a genuine world-class flight of Chardonnays, and the finish is largely responsible for this. The drama, built from the acidity, which is a factor in its situation, means that this is a classically shaped and deliciously raspy wine. Drink from 2028.

  • JS5, 5/5/24, Score: 94

    There is no new oak on any of the 2023s (with the exception of Rays Road) but a portion was aged in one and two year old barrels. Lemon drops and crisp red apple. A subtle silken creamy texture, with the signature edge of flint (but not of the volume seen in the previous vintages). Impressive and elegant. Drink from 2025 - 2030.

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Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.

2023 Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay - 6x75cl

  • White
  • 2024 - 2030
  • Kumeu River
  • 6x75cl
  • Kumeu, New Zealand
  • Available Now
Pricing
£90.00 In Bond £127.24 Duty Paid inc VAT

  • James Suckling, 16/6/24, Score: 93

    ...

  • James Suckling, 16/6/24, Score: 93

    ...

  • Matthew Jukes, 9/09/24, Score: 17.5/20

    Drawn from fruit from six different sites in the Kumeu region and using a high proportion of one and two-year-old oak barrels, this is the real deal, and it sings of the time-honoured Kumeu River style. Forward drinking and less fleshy than 2022, this is a superb, clean, racy wine, and it will certainly run for a good three or four years. This is a super wine that is light, airy and teasingly refreshing.

  • JS5, 5/5/24, Score: 91

    Compared to the Village chardonnay, there's a touch of extra concentration here. Barely ripe white nectarine, a little guava and red apple alongside the merest hint of flint. There is a strong spine of acid, but this provides structure for the fruit. A faint note of creamy malo adds another layer. Drink from now - 2028.

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Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.

2023 Kumeu River Coddington Chardonnay - 6x75cl

  • White
  • Kumeu River
  • 6x75cl
  • Kumeu, New Zealand
  • Available Now
Pricing
£150.00 In Bond £199.24 Duty Paid inc VAT

  • James Suckling, 16/6/24, Score: 95

    ...

  • James Suckling, 16/6/24, Score: 95

    ...

  • Matthew Jukes, 09/09/24, Score: 18+/20

    Often a rich and full-bodied wine, this vineyard is under lease at the moment, and the Brajkovich family are looking to bring it into the fold. There is no new oak used here, and yet the one and two-year-old barrels cradle the fruit perfectly. There is a hint of peach skin and pineapple husk, and yet it is not as exotic as 2022, and this means I prefer its demeanour and apple skin and lime juice stance. Still a puppy, the acidity is firm and controlling, and there is clearly a lot more to come here. You can attack early, particularly if you are curious, and it will not let you down, but I feel that three or four years from now, it will start to unravel when the acidity loosens its grip, and the full array of fruit will be apparent.

  • JS5, 5/5/24, Score: 94

    I always love this wine and despite the vintage tribulations, the Coddington retains its signature vineyard character, one of generousness and exuberance. Ripe and rich, within the context of the vintage, more open than the tightly wound Hunting Hill. There is a little ripe stonefruit, some biscuit and cream. Drink from 2025 - 2030.

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Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.

Pricing

  • IN BOND prices exclude UK Duty and VAT. Wines can be purchased In Bond for storage in Private Reserves or another bonded warehouse, or for export to non-EU countries. Duty and VAT must be paid before delivery can take place.

  • RETAIL prices include UK Duty and VAT. Wines for UK delivery can only be purchased this way.

Additional Information

  • Duty Paid wines have been removed from Bond and cannot subsequently be returned to Bond.  VAT is payable on Duty Paid wines. These wines must remain Duty Paid but can be purchased as such for storage subject to VAT.

  • En Primeur wines can only be purchased In Bond. On arrival in the UK these wines can either be stored In Bond in Private Reserves or another bonded warehouse or delivered directly to you. When you decide to take delivery, Duty and VAT at the prevailing rate become payable.

Tax status

  • IB: In Bond. These wines have had no UK Duty or VAT paid on them. Wines can be purchased In Bond for storage in Private Reserves or another bonded warehouse, or for export to non-EU countries.

  • DP: Duty Paid. Wines for immediate UK delivery must be purchased Duty Paid. VAT is payable on Duty Paid wines. Wines which have been removed from Bond cannot subsequently be returned to Bond. They must remain Duty Paid but can be purchased as such for storage subject to VAT.

  • EP: En Primeur. These wines are lying in the Domaines’ cellars until shipping. They can only be purchased In Bond. On arrival in the UK these wines can either be stored In Bond in Private Reserves or another bonded warehouse or delivered directly to you. When you decide to take delivery, Duty and VAT at the prevailing rate become payable.