2024 Kumeu River Rays Road Chardonnay Hawke’s Bay – The Brajkovich family and Kumeu River Wines is a story that parallels the New Zealand wine industry. From the pioneering days to the establishment of the New Zealand wine industry to today, the Brajkovich family have been internationally recognised as producing world class wine. The Brajkovichs are focused on and internationally recognised as producing world class Chardonnay.The Chardonnay wines of Kumeu River have gained a strong foothold within the international market, receiving outstanding accolades. The vineyard has gone on to become the globally recognised benchmark for non-Burgundy produced Chardonnay.This limestone hillside is at 180m altitude, with a northerly aspect. It is dry-farmed to yield high quality grapes for wine under the Rays Road name for their Kumeu River label. This Chardonnay was hand-harvested, whole bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeast in older French Oak barrels to give a wine that is zesty and fragrant, with mineral complexity that is very true to its site.The ripeness and richness from 2024 has given us a Rays Road Chardonnay with more depth and texture than we have seen over the last few years . This is another step up again from the 2023 Rays Road Chardonnay. The aromas are peachier this year although the distinctive flint, and zesty limestone characters are still there. The palate is showing more density and concentration than previous vintages and this is setting up to be a very fine Chardonnay vineyard. For the first time with Rays Road this feels like it needs bottle age.Single Price: $70.00 Any Six Bottle Buy: $52.00
