INTRODUCTION
Kumeu River has helped redefine what New Zealand Chardonnay can be. Rather than relying on ripe fruit and obvious oak, this family-owned estate has built its reputation on wines with freshness, texture, structure and a clear expression of vineyard.
Based in Kumeu, northwest of Auckland, the Brajkovich family has spent generations refining its approach to Chardonnay. Today, the range moves from the approachable Village Chardonnay through Estate and single-vineyard bottlings, each offering a different perspective on the grape. The addition of Rays Road in Hawke's Bay brings another dimension, showing how a change in soil, climate and site can shape the finished wine.
That attention to detail begins in the vineyard. Hand-harvesting and whole-bunch pressing are central to the approach, while indigenous yeast fermentation, French oak and full malolactic fermentation are used across much of the still-wine range. These techniques build texture and complexity, but freshness remains fundamental. Oak is part of the structure, not the story in itself.
Our Kumeu River Masterclass follows this progression through six wines, beginning with the estate's traditional-method Crémant before moving through Village and Estate Chardonnay to the distinctive Rays Road, Hunting Hill and Maté's Vineyard bottlings. Along the way, we'll explore the influence of vineyard selection, limestone and clay, and the decisions that allow each wine to retain its own character.
One grape, several vineyards and a remarkably individual approach to winemaking. The pleasure lies in tasting how those differences emerge in the glass.
KUMEU RIVER MASTERCLASS
THE WINES
NV KUMEU RIVER CRÉMANT
Kumeu River, New Zealand
~ A Different Expression of Kumeu River ~
Kumeu River has been making sparkling wine for many years, applying much of the same care found across its Chardonnay program. Produced entirely from estate-grown fruit, the Crémant brings together Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed before secondary fermentation in bottle.
The wine spends three years on yeast lees before disgorgement. This extended time in contact with the yeast builds texture and complexity, adding subtle savoury and bready notes while preserving the freshness that defines the Kumeu style. The blend is led by Chardonnay, traditionally around 60%, with Pinot Noir making up the balance.
Dry and finely textured, the wine shows citrus, fresh bread and subtle honeyed notes. There is good weight through the palate, balanced by bright acidity and a clean, lingering finish. It is an elegant introduction to the estate, demonstrating that the same attention to balance and texture extends well beyond its celebrated still Chardonnays.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
~ Fresh oysters with lemon
~ Prawn crudo with finger lime and herbs
~ Salt-and-pepper calamari with citrus aioli
~ Tempura zucchini flowers with whipped ricotta
~ Smoked salmon blinis with crème fraîche
Kumeu River Crémant NV
$47.95
2025 KUMEU RIVER VILLAGE CHARDONNAY
Kumeu River, New Zealand
~ Freshness First ~
Village Chardonnay may sit at the beginning of Kumeu River's still-wine range, but it receives considerable attention. The fruit is sustainably grown and hand-harvested, with indigenous yeast fermentation and extended maturation on lees contributing texture without losing sight of the fruit.
The 2025 brings together fruit from Kumeu and Hawke's Bay, with 32% of the final blend coming from Kumeu River's limestone-based Rays Road vineyard. Fermentation is divided between older French oak and stainless steel, allowing the wine to develop some breadth while keeping the fruit in focus.
Lime and lemon lead into white peach, fig and a subtle flinty note. The palate has freshness and energy, with a gently rounded texture and crisp acidity carrying the wine through the finish. There is enough detail to reward attention, but nothing feels overworked.
Village is an early look at the Kumeu River approach: Chardonnay built around fruit, texture and freshness rather than overt oak. It also provides a useful reference point for the wines that follow, making the differences in site and structure easier to appreciate.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
~ Steamed mussels with white wine and parsley
~ Grilled snapper with lemon and caper butter
~ Roast chicken with thyme and lemon
~ Scallop crudo with green apple and finger lime
~ Ricotta gnocchi with peas and Parmesan
2025 KUMEU RIVER ESTATE CHARDONNAY
Kumeu River, New Zealand
~ The Kumeu River House Style ~
Estate Chardonnay is assembled from six vineyard sites around Kumeu, with only selected parcels making the final blend. It sits at the heart of the range above Village, bringing together the character of several sites while retaining much of the same attention to detail found in the single-vineyard wines.
The fruit is hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed, followed by indigenous yeast fermentation in French oak, full malolactic fermentation and 11 months' maturation in barrel. The 2025 growing season was warm and remarkably dry, without significant heat extremes. These conditions allowed the Chardonnay to develop flavour while retaining the acidity that is so important to the Kumeu River style.
White peach, grapefruit and citrus sit alongside almond, gentle spice and a light flinty character. There is more depth and breadth here than in Village, but the palate remains bright and composed, with fine acidity and a long, savoury finish.
Where Village emphasises freshness and approachability, Estate brings greater concentration and complexity. It is a useful benchmark for understanding the house style before moving into the individual vineyards, where the influence of each site becomes more pronounced.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
~ Roast chicken with lemon, thyme and pan juices
~ Grilled ocean trout with brown butter and almonds
~ Moreton Bay bug with tarragon butter
~ Roast pork loin with apple and sage
~ Wild mushroom and Parmesan risotto
~ “It is a very New Zealand thing that if something is not working quite right, we have the ability to change quickly and move on.” Michael Brajkovich MW
2025 KUMEU RIVER RAYS ROAD CHARDONNAY
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
~ Limestone, Line and Mineral Tension ~
Rays Road takes us away from Kumeu to Hawke's Bay, giving the tasting its clearest change of place. The vineyard sits on a north-facing limestone hillside at around 180 metres elevation and is dry-farmed, a different environment from the clay-based sites surrounding the Kumeu winery.
The Chardonnay is hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed, then fermented with indigenous yeast in French oak. It completes malolactic fermentation and spends 11 months in barrel. Since acquiring the vineyard, Kumeu River has continued to refine its understanding of the site, with Michael Brajkovich describing 2025 as its best expression so far.
Peach, citrus and green melon meet flint, crushed stone and a distinctly savoury, saline edge. The palate is concentrated but energetic, with bright acidity, fine texture and a long, tangy finish.
The difference is not simply one of fruit character. Rays Road has a particular shape on the palate, with a mineral tension and drive that distinguish it from the Kumeu wines. It offers a reminder that Chardonnay's character is shaped not only by the winemaking, but by the vineyard itself.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
~ Kingfish crudo with grapefruit and fennel
~ Grilled coral trout with lemon and herbs
~ Seared scallops with cauliflower purée
~ Roast chicken with preserved lemon
~ Goat's cheese tart with thyme and caramelised onion
2025 KUMEU RIVER HUNTING HILL CHARDONNAY
Kumeu River, New Zealand
~ Fragrance, Structure and Precision ~
First planted to Chardonnay in 1982, Hunting Hill became an important component of Kumeu River's original Estate Chardonnay. The vineyard occupies the slope overlooking Maté's Vineyard and was replanted around 2000–01. Its fruit subsequently proved distinctive enough to warrant a single-vineyard bottling of its own.
The 2025 marks the twentieth release of Hunting Hill as a single-vineyard wine. The fruit is hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed, then fermented with indigenous yeast in French oak. Full malolactic fermentation follows, with the wine spending 11 months in barrel.
Hunting Hill consistently produces a more linear expression of Chardonnay, characterised by fragrance, structure and a distinctive mealy minerality. Lemon and lime blossom lead into white nectarine, subtle florals, spice and a lightly flinty edge. There is concentration and richness through the palate, but acidity keeps everything tightly drawn.
Long, mineral and beautifully focused, Hunting Hill shows how a vineyard can establish its own identity within a producer's range. The richness is there, but it is the combination of fragrance, tension and structure that gives the wine its character.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
~ Butter-poached marron with chives
~ Roast ocean trout with beurre blanc
~ Kingfish crudo with citrus and green chilli
~ Chicken ballotine with porcini and tarragon
~ Parmesan gnocchi with artichoke and lemon
2025 KUMEU RIVER MATÉ'S VINEYARD CHARDONNAY
Kumeu River, New Zealand
~ The Depth and Longevity of Kumeu River ~
Maté's Vineyard carries both the history of Kumeu River and the name of the man who established it. In 1990, Maté Brajkovich replanted Chardonnay on the site of the original vineyard purchased by the family in 1944. He died in 1992, a year before the first crop was harvested, and the wine was subsequently named in his honour.
Today, Maté's sits at the pinnacle of Kumeu River's Chardonnay range. The fruit is hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed before indigenous yeast fermentation in French oak, full malolactic fermentation and 11 months in barrel. The vineyard is traditionally the last of the Kumeu Chardonnay sites to be harvested, allowing the fruit to build remarkable depth while retaining the acidity that gives the wine its structure and longevity.
There is greater concentration here, with stone fruit and citrus layered with florals, savoury complexity and fine oak. The palate is powerful without becoming heavy, textured and expansive, yet held together by bright acidity and a long mineral line.
Maté's brings together many of the qualities explored throughout the tasting: concentration, texture, freshness and a clear sense of structure. It is not simply the richest expression of Kumeu River Chardonnay, but a wine built around depth and the ability to evolve slowly in bottle.
As our final wine, it brings the tasting back to the family and the vineyard at the heart of the estate. The history is meaningful, but it is the wine itself that gives that legacy its lasting expression.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
~ Butter-poached lobster with beurre blanc
~ Roast turbot with brown butter and capers
~ Roast chicken with morels and cream
~ Hand-cut pappardelle with wild mushrooms and Parmesan
~ Aged Comté with toasted sourdough
CONCLUSION
Tasting these six wines together showed us how much variation Kumeu River can find within a relatively focused range.
The Crémant introduced the estate's attention to texture and freshness in a different style. Village Chardonnay brought bright fruit and energy, while Estate added concentration and the character of several Kumeu vineyard sites. Rays Road shifted the conversation towards limestone, salinity and mineral tension. Hunting Hill showed a more linear, fragrant expression, before Maté's Vineyard brought the tasting to a close with greater depth, structure and length.
The further we moved through the range, the more individual the wines became. The grape remained Chardonnay, and many of the winemaking decisions were shared, yet changes in vineyard, soil and site gave each wine its own personality.
That is what makes Kumeu River so interesting. Its approach is not about imposing a house style on every wine, but about understanding the fruit, refining the winemaking and allowing the differences between vineyards to emerge.
For us, the real pleasure is in tasting those differences side by side. Chardonnay becomes much more than a familiar grape variety; it becomes a way of understanding the place, the people and the decisions behind each bottle.
Host your own Kumeu River Masterclass at home with all six wines, accompanied by our tasting notes and food-pairing suggestions.
~ One Grape, Many Expressions ~
