Description
Kumeu River, northwest of Auckland is without a doubt NZ’s finest chardonnay producer. Master of Wine and Winemaker Michael Brajkovich has been crafting fine chardonnay at the estate since the 1980’s. Handpicked fruit and vigorous selection from the low yielding vines, whole bunch pressed, wild yeasts, a third of the fruit fermented in French oak barriques and full malolactic fermentation to soften the pristine acidity and add texture and dimension. Not surprising Michael is not shy in comparing his Chardonnays with the great White Burgundies like Domaine Leflaive!
At a blind tasting in London (May 2015) of the most highly esteemed White Burgundies with a panel of experts (included leading wine writers Jancis Robinson and Neal Martin of eRobertParker.com) the Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay 2012 was the hightest rated wine against Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet and Anne-Claude Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet .. wines vastly more expensive! As Jancis reported .. “won hands down, costing a fraction of the wines they trounced” and added that “the Kumeu wines shone because they were better made and more sophisticated….fresh as a daisy and clearly a glorious future ahead”. Other comments from the tasting – Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate – “Kumeu River’s Chardonnays … some of the best in the world … a world-class estate producing world-class wines.“; Mathew Jukes “…crushed the Old World stars with ease! You must find a space for these wines in your cellar …these are incredible wines. One sip is all that is needed to add Kumeu to your list of greats.”
“If you can taste history, duty and family pride in a glass, it’s there in the Kumeu River Chardonnays … some of New Zealand’s greatest Chardonnays, not to mention the world’s.” Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW, The Wine Advocate
“If these aren’t the best chardonnays in New Zealand (and some of the best in the world), I’d like to see what could roll them.” Huon Hooke, SMH, Oct 2012
About this wine: Single Vineyard, Hunting Hill is the most elegantly aromatic of Kumeu River’s principal Kumeu sites, lying directly above Maté’s Vineyard on a slope exposed to cooling south-westerly breezes.
The vineyard was first planted in 1980 to Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. “The Chardonnay from that original Hunting Hill site is what made up the lion’s share of the original Estate Chardonnay back in the 80s,” Paul explains. Virus pressure later required replanting; the current vineyard, established around 2000–01, is principally Clone 15 Chardonnay.
Hunting Hill is defined by fragrance and tension. “It’s more about the lemon-lime blossom perfume on the nose, as opposed to the peachiness that you’ll see with the Estate,” says Paul Brajkovich. “It also has this very tight, linear, focused style of Chardonnay, which we persistently see here year in, year out.”
The wine is often tightly coiled in youth, with lime blossom, citrus and steely acidity. François Frères barrels contribute to its restrained, Burgundian feel. Despite usually being picked first, Hunting Hill can reach the highest alcohol of the three sites, though its structure remains tensile, vibrant and exceptionally ageworthy.
2025 – “An Outstanding Vintage” — Michael Brajkovich MW
2025 is shaping up as another outstanding year for one of the Southern Hemisphere’s great Chardonnay producers. Auckland’s driest summer since 1958 brought steady, extreme-free warmth — just two days over 28°C — that allowed the fruit to ripen slowly and evenly, which Michael Brajkovich MW says was “ideal for developing fruit aromas and flavours.” Yields have bounced back after two lean vintages, and the resulting Chardonnays, though still young, already show the freshness, chalky texture and precision that suggest they’ll rank among Kumeu River’s finest.
17.5 points (out of 20) Jancis Robinson MW “The finest and most burgundian of Kumeu River Chardonnays … ” September 2026.
96 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front “Juiciness, gloss, but also finesse. White nectarine, oatmeal and bran, spice, a distinct aniseed note, a suggestion of rock salt with a honey and white flower perfume. It offers plenty of flavour, peach, ripe lime, something just nudging tropical fruit flavour, though not overt. It has fine acidity, a light flinty grip, and carries long and silky, with just a little chalkiness tightening up the finish. Superb.”
96 points, James Suckling “Floral and fragrant, with white blossoms and a touch of white pepper on top, joined by crushed stones and a hint of raw almond. Medium- to full-bodied and very textural, showing firmness, staying tense and vertical, with a beautiful interplay between the driving acidity and distinct minerality. Finishes stony and citrusy.”
94 points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate “The 2025 Hunting Hill Chardonnay is ripe and thunderous, with salted peach, walnuts and stewed apple notes. This is flavorsome, opulent and impressively distinct from the Maté’s tasted alongside—the vineyards are a stone’s throw from each other. This is nettle-y, laden with apple skins and driven by fruit intensity. The acidity remains a concentrated and powerful player on stage here, as with all the Kumeu River cuvées.”
RRP $130 Our Special Price $112.99 – LIMITED – while stocks last!
