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Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
2025 Coddington Chardonnay, Kumeu River

2025 Coddington Chardonnay, Kumeu River

Auckland, New Zealand

The Golden Orchard

Generous, fragrant and quietly luxurious, Coddington brings a seductive orchard-fruit richness to Kumeu River’s finely balanced Chardonnay style. Ripe peach, apricot and golden apple unfold alongside white flowers and fresh citrus peel, with a delicate smoky note adding intrigue. Toasted oak and gentle spice lend warmth beneath the fruit, while a flinty undertone brings definition to the wine’s inviting perfume.

The palate is silky and layered, with a rounded core of stone fruit carried by bright, beautifully integrated acidity. Its creamy texture has a fine, powdery grip, giving the wine shape as the flavours broaden and deepen. Citrus freshness and savoury oak linger through a long, composed finish. There is plenty to enjoy already, particularly alongside something richly sauced, but the harmony of fruit, texture and freshness makes this a rewarding bottle to follow as it develops.

For when: Sunday lunch deserves the good china and a Chardonnay worth lingering over.

Pairs with: Butter-roasted lobster, chicken with morel cream, pan-fried halibut with beurre blanc, crab and saffron risotto, roast pork loin with apple and sage, or mature Gruyère.

Coddington takes its name from Tim and Angela Coddington, whose vineyard began contributing fruit to Kumeu River’s Estate Chardonnay in 1998. The site’s distinctive character earned it a separate bottling in 2006. Sheltered and north-facing, it captures warmth particularly effectively, helping to explain the ripe stone fruit and generous texture that have become its signature.

The warm, dry 2025 season played to Coddington’s strengths, bringing concentrated flavour and particularly satisfying depth. With the vines now more than thirty years old, this release combines the vineyard’s natural generosity with floral detail and a finely textured finish. Its youthful charm is immediate, while the balance suggests considerable rewards from patient cellaring.

Whats in the bottle
100% Chardonnay

Notable Awards
97 points, James Suckling

£52.00 - £52.00
£52.00
£52.00 - £52.00
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Kumeu River was founded in 1944, when the Brajkovich family, originally from Croatia, purchased a small vineyard and winery northwest of Auckland. Over successive generations, it has become one of New Zealand’s most admired Chardonnay estates. Winemaker Michael Brajkovich, who became the country’s first Master of Wine in 1989, has helped establish a style recognised for its precision, texture and ability to mature gracefully.

The home vineyards benefit from Kumeu’s maritime climate, with cloud cover and ocean influence moderating temperatures. Clay soils over sandstone retain moisture through summer, allowing cultivation without irrigation. Within this landscape, Coddington’s sheltered position near Waimauku encourages a particularly ripe expression of Chardonnay, complementing the distinct personalities of Hunting Hill and Maté’s Vineyard.

The family combines sustainable vineyard practices with hand harvesting, careful selection and traditional barrel fermentation. Indigenous yeasts and measured use of French oak build complexity while preserving the character of each site. Their inspiration includes the great white wines of Burgundy, expressed through a deeply established understanding of their own vineyards.

Made from 100% Chardonnay grown in the 1.8-hectare Coddington vineyard, planted in 1994. The vines grow on heavy clay over sandstone in a sheltered, north-facing site. Grapes are harvested by hand and carefully selected before pressing.

Whole bunches are pressed, and fermentation takes place in French oak barrels using indigenous yeasts. The wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation, contributing to its supple texture and helping integrate the fruit’s natural acidity.

Maturation lasts 11 months in French oak barrels, of which 25% are new. The oak adds subtle toast and spice while supporting the wine’s concentrated fruit. Further bottle ageing should bring greater savoury complexity and an increasingly seamless texture.

Alcohol: 14%. Vegan. Recommended drinking window: 2026–2034.

Wine-Searcher Retailer Awards 2026/27 Gold, Overall List in Cardiff