Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay

They’re one of NZ’s most iconic wine producers on the world stage. The family are pioneers in the NZ wine industry. They produce some of the very best Chardonnay you’ll find anywhere in Aotearoa. They’re the Brajkovich family and you’ll find them in the north Auckland suburb of Kumeu. Next to a river.

The Hunting Hill vineyard was planted back in 1982 and since the late 90s has played an important part in providing seriously good fruit for Kumeu River’s world famous Estate Chardonnay. Replanted in the year 2000 and in the words of winemaker and Master of Wine Michael Brajkovich it’s “now even better than before, giving beautifully ripe fruit with a distinctive mealy minerality.”

Scoring 93-95/100 with Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate who said “The ripest in alcohol of the 2024 releases, it feels powerfully layered. This is rich, almost thunderous in its positioning. The oak is polished & elegant. Focused finish.”

This is what winemaker and Michael had to say about this release – “The 2024 vintage is a fantastic one for Hunting Hill. Even though the yields were low, the fruit was pristine and beautifully ripe. The aroma of 2024 Hunting Hill is quite reticent in its youth, but you can get glimpses of the typical lemon/lime blossom fragrance and a touch of flintiness. The palate is concentrated and long showing the density of the low yield. This is a fabulous Hunting Hill that will show its best with 7-8 years of bottle age.”