Kumeu River Village Chardonnay 2024
Kumeu River Village Chardonnay 2024
It is hard to find a chardonnay this good under $25. A classic set of aromas and flavors with good complexity keep the involved drinker happy and the casual drinker stoked. 40% fermented in old French oak barriques, and the remaining 60% in stainless steel tanks. There is very little oak influence on either the nose or palate. Vibrant fruits like green apple, lime and lemon mesh with a mineral-flinty edginess with hints of white necatrine and white peach.
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. "2024 was a fantastic year, just very small," says Paul Brajkovich. "Weather during flowering wasn't good in spring in 2023," says Michael Brajkovich. "Ripening in 2024 was excellent, so we have a 40% down in yield but very high quality. The Village wine is a blend of Kumeu and Hawke's Bay [and is] a mixture of barrel and tank fermentation."
"2024 was a fantastic year, just very small," says Paul Brajkovich. "Weather during flowering wasn't good in spring in 2023," says Michael Brajkovich. "Ripening in 2024 was excellent, so we have a 40% down in yield but very high quality. The Village wine is a blend of Kumeu and Hawke's Bay [and is] a mixture of barrel and tank fermentation."
There’s a salivating factor that makes it very appealing to drink now. Bright melon, peach and white florals lead, with the creamier elements tucked neatly behind. There’s a lovely lift of acidity to balance the fruit, oak and lees influence on the palate. An excellent intro to this benchmark producer.
Kumeu River Chardonnay is drawn from six different vineyard sites in the Kumeu Region. We are particularly careful in selecting only the very best grapes from these vineyards for our Kumeu River Estate label. The excellent vintage came on the heels of three others, in a magnificent chain of four superb quality harvests. The Kumeu vineyards that contribute to this wine gave us a blend of Chardonnay that is particularly ripe, peachy, and not only delicious to drink. But also has the concentration and lingering complexity that we expect from this wine. This is quality Chardonnay wine of style and pedigree that we know has the capability of aging as well as any of its predecessors.
