Kumeu River "Rays Road" Hawke&

Kumeu River "Rays Road" Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2018
(New Zealand) - [JS 92]


Regular price $45.00 Sale price $35.97 Save $9.03
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JS92
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Vineyard Profile
Rays Road is Kumeu River’s new vineyard site in Hawkes Bay. This limestone hillside is at 180 meters altitude, with a northerly aspect. It is dry-farmed to yield high quality grapes for wine under the Rays Road name for the Kumeu River label. This Chardonnay was hand-harvested, whole bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeast in older French Oak barrels to give a wine that is zesty and fragrant, with mineral complexity that is very true to its site.

Location: Hawkes Bay, North Island
Cultivation: Sustainable
Size: 1.2 hectares (currently planted with Chardonnay; the entire vineyard is 30 hectares)
Vine Age: Planted 2008
Clones: 95
Soil: Limestone
Elevation: 180 meters
Training: VSP 2.2m x 1.5m
Vinification
Hand harvested
Whole-bunch pressed
Indigenous-yeast fermentation
100% barrel fermentation
100% malolactic fermentation
11 months maturation in barrel

Ratings & Reviews

92 Points - James Suckling:
"From a newly acquired site in Hawke’s Bay, this has a gently waxy edge and displays a wealth of ripe melon and pears. The palate is supple and mellow, very even and elegant with effortless length. Drink now. Screw cap." (10/2019)

17/20 Points, Wine of the Week - Jancis Robinson:
"The 2018 is already drinking beautifully and will probably continue to do so for the next five years. Quite a 'stony' nose and already lots of fun. Seems more than a year more evolved than the 2019. At a very nice stage now. Fresh and minerally and super-crisp but quite satisfying and not meagre at all. Super-clean. Just right for current drinking. If only all white burgundy offered this accessibility (I'm talking both price and taste). Really quite long. A neat, complete wine. At the moment I prefer this to the more intense but unformed Rays Road 2019." (