Wine Advisor
Kumeu River, Coddington Chardonnay 2024
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Rebecca Gibb MW
The most welcoming of the Kumeu single-vineyard wines in youth, the 2024 Chardonnay Coddington offers richness and fullness. There's substance here, lending texture and gourmand chew as well as creaminess through the mid-palate. Nougat and pear combine, but the fruit remains restrained in this well-concentrated style. Acidity keeps on giving and helps provide tension alongside notable phenolics. As always, there's a lovely, subtle smoky spice from the Gilet oak barrels.
About the Producer
The winery has 30 hectares of existing vineyards and will purchase 10 hectares of grapes from other local growers. Soil-wise, the top layer is clay soil and the bottom layer is sandstone, a soil type that locks in moisture and allows the vines to extend their roots as far down as possible without the need for irrigation. These terroirs are closely related to the quality of the Combe River Winery wines. The vineyards are close to the Tasman Sea, so the climate is relatively cool, with summer temperatures consistently below 30 degrees Celsius, which helps to enhance the aroma and flavour of early varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. Vineyards are distributed in a "lyre" pattern, which is conducive to increasing the ripeness and quality of the grapes. The winery harvests grapes by hand, and each grape is carefully selected to ensure the quality of the wine. Since its inception, the winery has produced many wines of outstanding quality, with released wines including Kumeu River Chardonnay and Kumeu River Pinot Gris. River Pinot Gris), etc., are deeply loved by consumers.
