Critic ratings
vinous
2021
Rating:
93
–93
Jazz hands at the ready, the Kumeu River Chardonnay Coddington is always ready to welcome you in with its full, svelte figure and no hard edges, and the 2021 is no different. However, this year there's an additional touch of purpose that keeps it fresh and full of intention. Good depth and weight here, perhaps due to the lower crop after frost made for small yields. There's a sense of feel, a sense of wanting to chew on the finish. Savory characters, festive spices and nutty notes, likely derived from its 25% new oak and time on lees in barrel, join the restrained white stone fruit.
robert_parker
2019
Rating:
93
–93
A bit tighter and more linear than the Estate Chardonnay, the 2019 Coddington Chardonnay is still medium to full-bodied, but it leans more toward the pineapple-citrus side of the spectrum. Delicate hints of toasted nuts appear on the nose, while the palate offers pineapple, yellow plum and lime notes, particularly on the long, refreshing finish.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
92
–92
Possessing struck match and savory notes over a core of apricots, spiced pears and marzipan with a touch of mandarin peel, the medium-bodied 2013 Coddington Chardonnay is open and expressive, yet with all the vivacity and intensity necessary for cellaring potential.
robert_parker
2012
Rating:
92
–92
Produced from UCD Clone 15 Chardonnay, the 2012 Coddington is a little closed at this youthful stage with delicate white peach, spiced apple and almond notes plus a hint of cedar. It offers a great intensity of apple and stone fruit flavors in the mouth with ginger and while pepper coming through, framed by a pleasant textural grip and racy acid, finishing long.
robert_parker
2011
Rating:
92
–92
The 2011 Coddington Chardonnay entices with a nose of apricots, pink grapefruit and toasted almonds accented by hints of ginger and mace. Tightly knit at this youthful stage, the medium-bodied palate gives a wonderful intensity of citrus and spicy stone fruit flavors, plus a refreshing burst of acidity through a long finish. Drink it 2014 to 2019+.
Importer: Wilson Daniels, St Helena, CA
robert_parker
2010
Rating:
92
–92
Tasted blind at Farr Vintners Kumeu/White Burgundy tasting. The 2010 Coddington Chardonnay from Kumeu River has an open and expressive bouquet with lemon peel and flint scents, a little conservative perhaps but nicely focused. The palate is well balanced with a pleasing, lime and nettle-driven opening. There is a herbaceous undertow here, gently building to a lightly spiced middle with a tang of white pepper on the delightful and persistent finish. "Bon vin," as they say in Auckland.
robert_parker
2010
Rating:
92
–92
The 2010 Coddington Chardonnay opens with delicate notes of warm lemons, white peaches and fresh ginger with hints of apple tart and crushed stones. This medium-bodied, vibrant and silky Chardonnay has great concentration and a long, citrusy finish. Drink it now to 2017+.
Importers: Wilson Daniels Ltd, Martin Scott Wines NY, Young’s Market Company
robert_parker
2009
Rating:
92
–92
Tasted blind at Farr Vintners Kumeu/White Burgundy tasting. The 2009 Coddington Chardonnay from Kumeu River is very refined on the nose with dried white peach, desiccated pineapple and a touch of chalk that all gain intensity in the glass. The palate is fresh and crisp with a taut line of acidity, but plenty of peach and greengage toward the concentrated finish that fans out in convincing fashion. This is an excellent Chardonnay that is going strong.
robert_parker
2009
Rating:
92
–92
The 2009 Coddington Chardonnay displays expressive notes of pineapple, pink guava, peach kernels and warmed pear slices with hints of cashews, marmite on toast and oyster shells. Medium bodied and with a pleasant touch of viscosity, it gives great concentration, lively acidity and a long savory finish. Approachable now, it should drink to 2017+.
Importer: Wilson Daniels Ltd., St. Helena, CA; www.wilsondaniels.com
robert_parker
2008
Rating:
92
–92
Coddington Chardonnay comes from a single vineyard about 3 kilometers from the winery that was planted in 1994. The soil here is predominately clay and the vines are all Clone 15. The 2008 Coddington Chardonnay is the third vintage of this wine produced by Kumeu River. Barrel fermented using natural yeasts and about 20-25% new French oak,.100% goes through malo-lactic. The nose is already very expressive displaying really intense ripe pineapple and pink guava aromas with a toasty/biscuit undercurrent and nuances of lime juice, orange blossom and some butterscotch. Very crisp, rich, and medium-full bodied, this opulent, satin textured wine gives a long exotic-fruited finish. It’s temptingly approachable now, though it should drink best 2013-2017+. Around 850 cases were produced.
There are few brothers that can successfully run a business together without going Cane and Abel on each other – but Paul (marketing), Michael (winemaking) and rarely seen Milan (vineyards) Brajkovich at Kumeu River make an amazing team. Mind you, having met their strong-willed mother Melba (managing director) it is clearly the boss, who’s been with the estate not to mention the workers from the beginning, keeping them in line. If you can taste history, duty and family pride in a glass, it’s there in the Kumeu River Chardonnays. Either that or it’s the years of continual improvement from trials, failures, successes and all the experience and determination that goes with sheer grind. Melba’s late husband, Mate (pronounced Matty), started this winery in the 1940s. “We planted a lot of different varieties,” Paul told me. “The Chardonnay came out as a star early-on.” Sixty odd years on and the brothers have progressed their father’s life’s work, now producing some of New Zealand’s greatest Chardonnays, not to mention the world’s.
Importer: Wilson Daniels Ltd., St. Helena, CA; www.wilsondaniels.com
robert_parker
2007
Rating:
95
–95
The sophomore 2007 Coddington Chardonnay is simply wonderful. Brilliantly defined on the nose, even more mineralite than the impressive 2006, it is a bouquet to make any self-aggrandizing Burgundy Grand Cru tremble at the knees! The palate has exquisite balance, vibrant acidity, quite luscious with touches of clear honey, apricot and white peach. Great depth and length, Michael Brajkovich MW has excelled and the wine will only get better with future vintages.
Michael Brajkovich MW produced a brilliant array of 2007s. The cooler growing season meant that they harvested one week earlier than 2006 with lower yields and sugar levels, high acidity levels but with greater expression of mineralilty. If you have never tried these wines, then it is time you see for yourself what New Zealand is capable of. All his Chardonnays can be drunk immediately but do resist temptation and save some bottles to drink over 5-6 years (or more) as they can age beautifully. Just don’t ask Michael if he could bottle your allocation under cork!
Importer: Wilson Daniels Ltd., St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661; fax (707) 963-8566.
robert_parker
2007
Rating:
93
–93
There’s a pleasant earthy / chalky character tot the nose with some lemon curd and key lime, white peaches, cream and a whiff of wet pebbles. The medium bodied palate gives very good concentration and a long minerally finish marked by crisp acid.
robert_parker
2006
Rating:
90
–90
Tasted at Farr Vintners' Kumeu River tasting. The maiden 2006 Coddington Chardonnay from Kumeu River is maturing with style some seven years after I tasted it down in Auckland. Now at its peak, one finds mint leaf and bitter orange on the nose flanked by lime and citrus fruit, though perhaps deprived some of its nascent complexity. The palate is medium-bodied, crisp and taut with a fine line of acidity, linear with a Chablis-like finish. This is still a classy number, though I would have been inclined to open any bottles a couple of years ago.
robert_parker
2006
Rating:
92
–92
Quite mute at the moment, this wine is showing a delicate peachy, ripe apple and warm citrus character with some brioche and honeycomb. Crisp, medium bodied and with excellent balance of acid and zesty fruit, it has a long finish with a suggestion of chalkiness.
robert_parker
2006
Rating:
93
–93
The outstanding 2006 Coddington Chardonnay is a vineyard trained on a single vertical trellis. It displays fantastic definition on the intense aromatics with crisp apple, limestone, apricot and white peach, the palate very concentrated with vibrant acidity, touches of apple and walnut and very good weight on the slightly honeyed, persistent finish. This Chardonnay should easily last more than a decade.
Kumeu River and Michael Brajkovich MW have both become synonymous with New Zealand’s finest Chardonnay from just outside Auckland. For over two decades they have fashioned Burgundy-inspired wines (particularly Meursault) with their Mate’s Vineyard Chardonnay winning accolades far and wide. In 2006 Michael is debuting two new single vineyard sites: Coddington and Hunting Hill that were hitherto blended into the “Chardonnay” blend, now renamed “Estate Chardonnay” and redesigned the label. Michael is confident that bottling the two single vineyards separately will detract nothing from the quality of the Estate Chardonnay and told me that he intends to move away from the buttery style of Chardonnay and keep the wine on their lees for longer.
Importer: Wilson Daniels Ltd., St Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661; fax (707) 963-8566
vinous
2007
Rating:
93
–93
The 2007 Coddington Chardonnay has an outstanding, complex bouquet of dried honey, flint, pressed white flowers and quince, all beautifully defined and focused. The fresh, vibrant palate offers crisp acidity, orange zest mixed with apricot and a light touch of white pepper. It feels very harmonious and persistent. This is the best mature Coddington Chardonnay I have tasted. Just superb. Tasted at the Kumeu River Chardonnay vertical in London.
vinous
2013
Rating:
92
–92
The 2013 Coddington Chardonnay has one of the most Burgundy-like aromatics of recent years, well defined with touches of smoke and granite. The balanced palate offers a saline entry, moderate acidity, hints of tangy marmalade and clementine and a nicely poised, lightly spiced finish. Very fine. Tasted at the Kumeu River Chardonnay vertical in London.
vinous
2013
Rating:
91
–91
Bright, pale silver-yellow. Reticent but pure aromas of nectarine, musky lees, spices and flowers. More precise and perfumed in the mouth than the broader 2014 version, showing lovely energy and cut to its citrus, white stone fruit and spice flavors. Displays considerably more aromatic lift on the firm, long back end than the 2014 version.
vinous
2014
Rating:
94
–94
The 2014 Coddington Chardonnay has an attractive, slightly waxy, yellow flower and peach skin bouquet that takes time to unfold, but it is worth the wait. The palate is fresh and well balanced with a fine line of acidity and gorgeous white peach and Japanese yuzu notes toward the mineral-driven finish. An outstanding release from Kumeu River. Tasted at the Kumeu River Chardonnay vertical in London.
vinous
2014
Rating:
89
–89
Bright, pale yellow-straw. Musky clove and ginger high notes lift ripe aromas of peach and hazelnut. Tactile, pliant and rich, but showing more spices than fruit today. Broad but quite dry for this normally opulent wine and in need of a couple more years of cellaring. Today the Estate release shows more length.
robert_parker
2022
Rating:
95
–95
The 2022 Coddington Chardonnay leads with lemon balm/oil, green-olive brine, crème brûlée top (a.k.a. scorched brown sugar), peach fuzz, and an abundance of orchard fruit. In the mouth, kiwi fruit acidity (a.k.a. juicy, sweet, tart) defines the perimeters of the flavors and beckons you in for another, closer look. It's very, very good, a distinct wine, pure, all aspects delineated and deliberate. I like this. It feels orderly and mathematical. If the wine had a sound, it would be a straight-pace bowl at the wickets, one flying out of stumps (name a better sound, I'll wait). It's not that immediately obvious, though; it builds and takes a while to assert itself, and I like that too. Very good. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
robert_parker
2020
Rating:
95
–95
The 2020 Coddington Chardonnay is ripe and plump in the mouth, tailed by very fine, chalky acidity and tannins. Far from being boisterous or explosive, this unfolds with an orderly, organized outlay of flavor and texture, each quality woven into the other. Exciting drinking here, with wonderful, piercing intensity of flavor. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
robert_parker
2023
Rating:
94
–94
The 2023 Coddington Chardonnay is sleek and polished. The fruit is on the kiwi fruit, almond meal and white peach end of the spectrum, and the fruit is lean. Tightly coiled acidity is gently embossed into the fruit; it is neatly packaged and very tight. The wine builds as it opens, and while the first sip was difficult to get a reading on, the ensuing interactions are juicier and more saliva-inducing. The restraint is attractive, and the back-palate weighting of flavor similarly makes for charming drinking. 12.6% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
robert_parker
2014
Rating:
93
–93
With a savory, struck match undercurrent, the 2014 Coddington Chardonnay has a core of lemons, fresh grapefruit and yuzu with a touch of pineapple. Medium bodied and still quite tightly wound at this youthful stage, it gives and refreshing acid backbone throughout the long finish. It should age beautifully over the next 6-8 years+.
robert_parker
2015
Rating:
91
–91
The 2015 Coddington Chardonnay is youthfully muted with subtle suggestions of lemon curd, lime leaves and grapefruit peel plus a yeasty, toasty, cedary waft. Light to medium-bodied, fine, fresh and delicate in the mouth, it delivers good citrus and yeasty notes.
robert_parker
2016
Rating:
93
–93
The ripe, creamy-textured 2016 Coddington Chardonnay also boasts a crisp, tight line of pineapple and citrus that pulls the wine together and gives it depth and shape on the palate. Toasted grain and white peach notes provide much of the flesh, but there's also a silky, custardy feel on the palate, extending through the lengthy finish.
robert_parker
2017
Rating:
93
–93
Kumeu River's 2017 Coddington Chardonnay was barrel-fermented and aged in 25% new oak. Marginally tighter and more structured than the estate bottling, it offers hints of struck flint on the nose, followed by notes of wet stone, nectarine and pineapple. Medium to full-bodied, it's loud, lush and long, with hints of pencil shavings on the finish.
robert_parker
2018
Rating:
91
–91
Tighter and more linear than usual, the 2018 Coddington Chardonnay boasts scents of pencil shavings set against a backdrop of grapefruit and pineapple. It's medium-bodied, crisp and focused, with a bright beam of acid and hints of citrus pith on the finish.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
92
–92
Struck flint and crushed stone, hints of pencil shavings and lime appear on the nose of the 2013 Coddington Chardonnay. Racy and lean on the palate, it shows less of the warm, "Coddington" character than most vintages.
robert_parker
2012
Rating:
95
–95
Lovely aromas of toasted hazelnut and pencil shavings are beautifully balanced by ripe peach and citrus fruit. The 2012 Coddington Chardonnay is medium to full-bodied, with a luscious, silky texture in the mouth and a long, silky finish. Just terrific.
robert_parker
2011
Rating:
93
–93
Meaty, mushroomy notes add an exotic, savory note to the nose of the 2011 Coddington Chardonnay. It's crisp and linear for a Coddington, with vibrant lime and grapefruit still in evidence, particularly on the long, racy finish.
robert_parker
2010
Rating:
95
–95
From what was a terrific vintage for Kumeu, the 2010 Coddington Chardonnay nails the balance between toasty, nutty oak and primary, peach and citrus fruit. It's medium to full-bodied, with a ripe, silky texture and ample length on the finish. It's right in the heart of its plateau of maturity.
robert_parker
2009
Rating:
91
–91
Smoky, ripe and peachy on the nose, the 2009 Coddington Chardonnay quickly tightens up on the palate, focusing on lime and tangerine flavors and a bright, crisp mouthfeel.
robert_parker
2008
Rating:
94
–94
Orange and peach sherbet notes appear on the nose of the rich, medium to full-bodied 2008 Coddington Chardonnay. It's a fine example from a riper year, round and plush but still retaining a terrific line of acidity extending through the finish.
robert_parker
2007
Rating:
94
–94
Cool, lime-like notes dominate the nose and palate of the 2007 Coddington Chardonnay. Trim and racy, but with just enough ripeness for balance, this is a terrific example of Kumeu Chardonnay for drinking over the next 5-6 years.
robert_parker
2006
Rating:
92
–92
The 2006 Coddington Chardonnay is the first vintage produced. It's showing the developed, warm nature of the year, even hinting at mushroom-like umami on the nose, while retaining ample peach and citrus notes on the medium to full-bodied palate. I'd suggesting drinking up over the next couple of years.
