2024 Estate Chardonnay, Kumeu River

Golden Thread

Bright, precise and quietly luxurious, the 2024 Estate Chardonnay shows exactly why Kumeu River has become such a benchmark for modern Chardonnay. Drawn from six vineyard sites, this vintage carries lovely concentration from a low-yielding, dry season, but never loses its poise. Aromas of lemon zest, orange peel and fresh apricot rise first, followed by orchard fruit, white blossom and a subtle flinty note. There is a gentle creaminess from barrel work, but it sits neatly behind the fruit, adding polish rather than weight.

On the palate, it feels both generous and tightly drawn, with ripe stone fruit, citrus tension and that lovely Kumeu River hallmark of freshness running right through the centre. The texture is supple and layered, shaped by wild yeast fermentation and around 11 months in French oak, with 20% new barrels, yet the finish stays bright, mineral and mouthwatering. This is Chardonnay with real composure, more about finesse and length than showiness, and all the more compelling for it.

For when: roast chicken is on the table and the evening deserves something a little finer.
Pairs with: lobster, roast chicken, creamy mushroom dishes, or turbot with brown butter.
If this wine were a place: a calm, sunlit room with linen curtains, polished wood and the faint scent of citrus in the air.

Kumeu River is one of New Zealand’s great Chardonnay specialists, a family estate just outside Auckland that has built its reputation on crafting wines of Burgundian finesse from the Kumeu region’s clay-rich vineyards. The Estate Chardonnay is the wine that first made the winery famous, blending multiple sites to capture both complexity and house style, and in 2024, it looks particularly strong, with recent critics awarding it 92 points from Erin Larkin and 92 points from Rebecca Gibb MW.