Kumeu River - Chardonnay "Coddington" 2023 (750ml)
Price: $72.99
| Producer | Kumeu River |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | New Zealand |
| Varietal | Chardonnay |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Sku | 204759 |
| Size | 750ml |
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Kumeu River Description
Kumeu River, one of the first wineries in Auckland, New Zealand, helped establish the reputation of Kumeu as a word-class wine region. Founded in 1944 by the Brajkovich family, immigrants from Croatia, the estate has grown and flourished over the years through the dedication to producing benchmark-quality Chardonnay, influenced heavily by Burgundy (and often confused as such in blind tastings). Its array of single-vineyard Chardonnays represents some of the finest examples of this grape anywhere in the world, the Côte d’Or included.
Coddington Chardonnay is produced from a vineyard previously owned by Tim and Angela Coddington whose grapes have contributed to the blend of Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay since 1998. It is located 5km down the road from the Kumeu winery. It is a vineyard that produces very rich and unctuous Chardonnay that the winery long believed could make an excellent single vineyard wine. In 2006 they decided to give Coddington single vineyard status to reflect the vineyard’s unique character.
Tasting Note: The single-vineyard Coddington wine is richly ripe in the yellow peach and apricot spectrum, with a background of toasted oak and caramelized hazelnut. It is the biggest style in our range, and satisfyingly rich as such, but also nicely balanced with its acidity.
Wine Advocate: 94 Points
The 2023 Coddington Chardonnay is sleek and polished. The fruit is on the kiwi fruit, almond meal and white peach end of the spectrum, and the fruit is lean. Tightly coiled acidity is gently embossed into the fruit; it is neatly packaged and very tight. The wine builds as it opens, and while the first sip was difficult to get a reading on, the ensuing interactions are juicier and more saliva-inducing. The restraint is attractive, and the back-palate weighting of flavor similarly makes for charming drinking. 12.6% alcohol
Vinous: 89 Points
The 2023 Chardonnay Coddington provides its typical rounder shape and comforting suppleness despite being clearly lighter in concentration and richness than in recent years. At just 12.6% alcohol, it's bright and fresh, with a zestiness pervading its core. It's balanced (when isn't a Kumeu River?), but it's done in a lighter, zipper, citrus-driven style with no new oak. The lees contact is all important here in imbuing it with mid-palate texture.
