Kumeu River Rays Road Pinot Noir 2018

The grapes for this wine were hand harvested, de stemmed then lightly crushed before being fermented with wild yeast in stainless steel tanks. After the malolactic fermentation this wine was matured for 12 months in seasoned French Oak. The resulting wine is bright, fragrant with ripe cherry and other red-fruit aromas. The palate is supple, deceptively concentrated with a distinctive limestone edge. It is delicious now, and we have no doubt that this complex wine will enhance further with bottle age.

Founded in 1944 by Mick Brajkovich, their wife Katé, and their son Maté, Kumeu River was one of the early pioneers in Auckland, New Zealand, that helped to establish its reputation as a world-class wine region. Before that, they lived In their small Croatian village of Živogošće, Mick and Katé Brajkovich had also farmed small plots of land, and had experience tending vines and making their own wine. After a few years of working in the gum fields, the family moved to Henderson in West Auckland. Still family-owned and run, Kumeu River continues to pioneer new frontiers: winemaker Michael Brajkovich became New Zealand’s first member of the prestigious Institute of Masters of Wine, London, and has been testing and championing screw cap closures for nearly 20 years. In 2017 Ray's Road vineyard acquisition. The Brajkovich acquire their first primary vineyard site outside of Kumeu in Hawke's Bay.