2025
Rays Road Chardonnay
2025
Rays Road Chardonnay
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.
Winemaker's Notes
2025 was a remarkably dry harvest season. We started with the early Sparkling Wine varieties in perfect condition on 4 February. One week later we had 17mm, just before we commenced the table wine harvest. After that, it was pretty much dry all the way through the rest of Vintage on 17 March.
Vinification
Hand harvested
Whole-bunch pressed
Indigenous yeast fermentation
100% barrel fermentation
French Oak
100% malo-lactic fermentation
11 months maturation in barrel
12.8%vol
Whole-bunch pressed
Indigenous yeast fermentation
100% barrel fermentation
French Oak
100% malo-lactic fermentation
11 months maturation in barrel
12.8%vol
Drink with
- Seafood
- Pasta
- Chicken
- Risotto
