Kumeu River Chardonnay Mates Auckland 19

Mate’s Vineyard Chardonnay was the first single vineyard Chardonnay producing by Kumeu River Wines and named in homage to the late Mate Brajkovich, whose four children run the winery today.

The grapes are grown solely on a single vineyard, sloping hillside site opposite the winery in Kumeu, West Auckland.

The 2019 vintage produced exceptional quality grapes for Kumeu River Wines and this wine is made from the last grapes to be picked each year. High ripeness combined with the variable berry size on Mendoza clone Chardonnay bunches provides a wine with great concentration of flavour, great acidity (thanks to the small berries) and richness from barrel fermentation. This wine drinks well now and will age superbly for at least a decade, and then some, for those with will power.

Kumeu River Wines began life as San Marino Wines in 1944 when Croatian immigrant couple, Mick and Katé Brajkovich, bought a small property with a vineyard on it. Their descendents now own and run Kumeu River Wines, which produces 250,000 bottles of wine annually from its owns 30 hectares of vineyards in Kumeu and from another 10 hectares, owned by local grape growers.