Kumeu River Wins Judgement+50 Chardonnay Tasting

Maté’s Vineyard Chardonnay, Kumeu — 98 points"The vines now at 35 years of age, Mate’s is queen of the Kumeu castle, reigning with seamless grace, quiet power, and intensity, her crown jewels kept close to her chest, for now, to reveal slowly over time. While a complete and beautifully made wine now—all coiled acidity, orchard fruit and lightly salted cashew characters amidst a slippery texture—just think of the rewards for those who wait"Coddington Chardonnay, Kumeu — 97 pointsThis multifaceted wine from heavy clay soils is distinctively “of somewhere.” White peach, cashew, citrus blossom, toast, and saline characters are all there, all so...

During her recent visit to New Zealand, Erin Larkin of The Wine Advocate joined us for a retrospective tasting that she described as “monumental”. 32 vintages of Kumeu River Chardonnay, including wines dating back over two decades. Among these was the newly released 2024 Single Vineyard Chardonnays, which Erin praised as being “up there with the best of them: 2022, 2020, 2014…” Her full tasting notes and scores for the 2024 vintage are below:   2024 Kumeu River Maté's Vineyard Chardonnay: 95 - 97 pts Drink Date: 2025 - 2039 The 2024 Maté's Vineyard Chardonnay is mouth-filling and full, easily...

We were delighted to host Erin Larkin of The Wine Advocate on her recent trip to New Zealand.Erin missed out on joining us for our Kumeu Restrospective tastings, so we went into the family cellar once more, tasting through 32 vintages (some up to 21 years old) in what Erin described as a “monumental” tasting. Read her full article below:New Zealand: South Island Trip During Vintage 2025 New Zealand is best known globally for its Sauvignon Blancs from Marlborough, a cool, coastal, mountainous region on the northern tip of the South Island. In fact, the wines made in Marlborough account for almost 70% of the entire...