Kumeu River Coddington Chardonnay 2023

James Suckling
95/100 punten

"The complexity and flintiness are so enticing, with sliced apples, lemons, minerals and gunpowder. Full- bodied, dense and intense, with subtle brioche, cooked lemon and apple notes. Racy and steely but with richness underneath. Some lemongrass. So complex. Drink or hold. Screw cap." 

Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate
94/100 punten
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.

Jancis Robinson MW
17+/20 punten
 "This leased 1.8-ha vineyard, all clone 15, was planted 1994. There are another two years to run on the current lease but the Brajkoviches are hoping to renew it and are heartened by the fact that, although Kumeu is prime redevelopment area, there has been no change in planning permissions for the moment. Milan Brajkovich has been completely in charge of viticulture there since 2017 and reckons the vineyard has improved as a result. Whole-bunch pressed. Spontaneous fermentation. 100% barrel-fermented in used French oak. 100% malo and 11 months ’maturation in barrel. According to Paul B, the 2008, opened fairly recently in a search for a wine to add to their Crémant at disgorgement stage, was looking surprisingly good. Sturdy, dry, burgundian nose. Very textural start with very slight oiliness towards the end. Already very broachable with a tiny hint of lemon cough sweets on the finish. Will surely develop more creaminess and less of a grainy texture. Still some tannins evident."

James Halliday
95/100 punten
"Fruit off a north-facing site, owned by Angela and Tim Coddington, nearby at Waimauku, which has been part of Kumeu River Estate chardonnay since 1998. The fruit is distinct, rich and powerful so in 2006 it was elevated to a single vineyard wine. Easy to understand why. This is super smart, the acidity reined-in yet with light layers of texture that give this depth. It’s flinty, savoury and moreish. There’s a hint of caramel-creamed honey and grilled nuts with lemon-lime accents, plus lemon curd. All in all, finely tuned and compelling."