Michael
Brajkovich MW and Kumeu River
are candidates for New
Zealand’s equivalent of a grand cru white
burgundy producer. The 1987 vintage of
Kumeu River Chardonnay heralded this country’s arrival on the international
scene, the wine employing the burgundian vinification regimes of full barrel
fermentation, the use of indigenous yeasts, lees stirring and total malolactic
conversion. That wine was a sensation
and supported others beginning a similar journey and spurred others to take the
same path of building in complexity in Chardonnay wines. The Brajkovich family has continued to refine
the style over the last two decades, and the Kumeu River
label is arguably the most highly regarded of our Chardonnays globally;
commentators placing the wines squarely in the Cote de Beaune camp. In 1993, the flagship ‘Matés’ single vineyard
Chardonnay was introduced, honouring the Brajkovich patriarch. In 2006, two further single-vineyard wines,
the ‘Coddington’ and ‘Hunting Hill’ were released, these recognizing the
individuality of the fruit and resultant wines from these sites. This approach is certainly burgundian!
As a vintage, 2008 was a superlative
one. A wonderful summer resulted in
fully ripened grapes, which combined with the very low yields has given the
wines a lusciousness and peachiness as a baseline fruit character. Vinification was similar for all the wines,
involving hand-harvesting, whole bunch pressing with indigenous yeasts employed
in100% barrel fermentation, total MLF and 11 months in barrel (12 months for
the ‘Matés’), in approximately 20% new oak.
All of the wines sit at 13.5% alc.
We offer the four 2008 Kumeu River
Chardonnays; all are exceptional.
However, the ‘Estate’ wine at the very special offer price of $24.95 is
a bargain that if passed over would be criminal. The offer is valid for the month of May, 2010.
Kumeu River ‘Estate’ Chardonnay 2008
The fruit for the ‘Estate’ wine is
drawn from six different sites in Kumeu, including fruit from ‘Hunting Hill’
and ‘Matés Vineyard’. On first
impression, this speaks of white burgundy style. Pale straw yellow, this is fine and soft on
bouquet with a fullish mealy fruited, nutty nose and complex sulphide elements
which are accessible, yet with tension.
The elegance, style and restraint are features. How does Michael tone down the expected Kiwi
fruit exuberance to achieve this expression?
There is depth and concentration, all in an elegant structure. Soft acidity, allied to a note of steel keeps
the wine fresh and alive. This will keep
4-6 years easily. Only in comparison
with the other Kumeu River Chardonnays does the ‘Estate’ seem the more
accessible and lighter. Yet it is a wine
of great class.
Kumeu River ‘Coddington’ Chardonnay 2008
Tim and Angela Coddington’s northerly
exposed vineyard, situated between Huapai and Waimauku on the northern side of
the state highway, has 1.8 ha planted to Clone 15, and has contributed to the
‘Estate’ blend since 1998. Very pale
straw coloured, this is soft and full with a rich breadth to the bouquet. Nutty aromas with nectarine nuances and the
most subtle hints of exotic fruits, the palate is full, flowing and seamless,
with floral elements along with the complex nutty/sulphide lines. All the while, the wine has harmony and total
integration while retaining a tightness of style. The analogy of a top Meursault has been made
for the ‘Coddington’ wine and it is a valid one. Keep this superb wine over the next 5-7
years.
Kumeu River ‘Hunting Hill’ Chardonnay 2008
This 3.3 ha site overlooking the
‘Matés’ vineyard was first planted in 1982 and has always contributed to the
‘Estate’ blend. The soil is heavy clay
over sandstone, with a hard iron pan below the surface, which Michael Brajkovich surmises may be responsible for
the minerally finish in the wines. The
vineyard was replanted with Clone 15 in 2000 and the fruit is seen to be even
better now. The ‘Hunting Hill’ wine is
the Puligny-Montrachet of the set. Pale
straw yellow with green hues to the colour, this combines wonderful
concentration with tightly bound restraint on bouquet. Stones and minerals are revealed. This has a core of depth and power, great
presence and a remarkably long finish.
An outstanding and sensational wine that will keep 8 years plus.
Kumeu River ‘Matés Vineyard’ Chardonnay 2008
This 2.4 ha site, opposite the
winery was the original vineyard that Maté Brajkovich purchased in 1944. It is a north-facing sun-trap and the heavy
clay soils required agricultural lime to raise the soil pH. Reworked and planted in the Mendoza clone, selected from Collard’s
‘Rothesay vineyard in 1990 by Maté, it yielded its first crop in 1993, the year
after his passing away. The resulting
wine was released in 1994 to coincide with the Brajkovich family’s 50th
anniversary. The ‘Matés Vineyard’ wine
is consistently the most backward of all the Chardonnays. Youthfully pale in appearance, this has a
combination of pure minerals and steel with sweet, spicy, nutty oak, sitting,
brooding in the background. This has
great concentration and density alongside immense finesse. The palate shows enormous fruit extract,
providing sensual textures. This just
exudes potential. The track record for
this label is impeccable and a complex white burgundy-styled wine will reveal
itself over the next 7-10 years.