In Bond Fine Wine. 2025 Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay, Kumeu, New Zealand. White new zealand - white in 6x75cl. Drinking window: 2026+. Sold in bond by Albany Vintners, independent fine wine merchants.
From flinty, clay soils. "Wines from Hunting Hill are more citrus, linear and steely than the other, peachier Kumeu River Chardonnays." Jancis Robinson Kumeu River is one of New Zealand’s benchmark producers and has earned a worldwide reputation for Chardonnays that regularly draw comparisons with top white Burgundy. Founded by the Brajkovich family, the estate combines cool-climate vineyards with Burgundian inspired winemaking to produce wines of remarkable purity, freshness and longevity. Chardonnay is the star, from the superb value Village and Estate Chardonnay through to the single vineyard Coddington, Hunting Hill and much feted Maté’s Vineyard. The range also includes elegant, cool-climate Pinot Noir, with an emphasis throughout on balance, precision and expression of site. The 2024 vintage is a particular highlight - small in quantity but exceptional in quality, producing beauti…
Erin Larkin (EL) — 94/100 · Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com · Drink 2026 - 2040
The 2025 Hunting Hill Chardonnay is ripe and thunderous, with salted peach, walnuts and stewed apple notes. This is flavorsome, opulent and impressively distinct from the Maté's tasted alongside—the vineyards are a stone's throw from each other. This is nettle-y, laden with apple skins and driven by fruit intensity. The acidity remains a concentrated and powerful player on stage here, as with all…
James Suckling (JS) — 96/100 · JamesSuckling.com · Drink 2026+
Floral and fragrant, with white blossoms and a touch of white pepper on top, joined by crushed stones and a hint of raw almond. Medium- to full-bodied and very textural, showing firmness, staying tense and vertical, with a beautiful interplay between the driving acidity and distinct minerality. Finishes stony and citrusy. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
Jancis Robinson MW (JR) — 17.5/20 · JancisRobinson.com, 2026-09-18 · Drink 2027-2039
Opulent citrus nose. Real grip on the palate. Lemon sorbet! Very pristine and still quite tight although you could drink it now at a pinch. Quite bracing at this stage though. The second most popular vintage, with 2010, with the tasters. See this earlier tasting note. Lovely vintage very similar to the first-ever, 2006. The hottest day was only 28 °C. Clean, ripe fruit.