Kumeu River Coddington Chardonnay 2019

Vinous 93 points out: "This Chardonnay is expansive, filling the mouth with its subtle flavors yet retaining a sense of lightness. Its girth is wrapped in a firm belt of acidity that holds everything into a streamlined whole. Chardonnay is a non-aromatic variety and the fine aromas of nectarine and oatmeal combine with a barrel-derived smoky note on the drawn-out finish." -- tasted by Rebecca Gibb MW, October 2020

Country: New Zealand
Region: Kumeu
Year: 2019
Grape Variety: 100% Chardonnay

The single-vineyard Coddington wine is richly ripe in the yellow peach and apricot spectrum, with a background of toasted oak and caramelized hazelnut. It is the most prominent style in our range, satisfyingly rich as such, but also nicely balanced with its acidity. 

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 was acquired. The Brajkovich acquire their first primary vineyard site outside of Kumeu in Hawke's Bay.