Wine Advisor
Kumeu River, Estate Chardonnay 2025
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Erin Larkin
Hailing from the exceptional 2025 growing season, the 2025 Estate Chardonnay leads initially with toasty/pencilly oak notes; however, the fruit on the palate is where the quality of the vintage is on show. Here we have yellow peach, sea salt, toasted sage leaf (even bay), quince, fig and white flowers. The acidity is prodigious, and this serves as a prop in the middle of the palate, providing real tension and fierceness to the otherwise ripe fruit. This is a very good wine, and the length through the finish is impressive. 13.6% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
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.
