Kumeu River Rays Road Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2018

Description

"First release of Chardonnay from a newly acquired Hawke's Bay vineyard on a north-facing site with limestone soils. Pure, taut wine with chalk, mineral, grapefruit, citrus, bran biscuit and nutty oak flavours. An impressive debut" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Sep 2019

All of their Chardonnay from 2018 is supple and approachable but the limestone soils of this vineyard give them quite a different expression to the vineyards they have in Kumeu. The wine is fragrant and flinty with a hint of pink grapefruit. The palate is supple but with a limestone edge that is piercing and lingering. It will be interesting to see how this wine develops but they fully expect to see it improve with bottle age along the same lines as the other Kumeu River wines.

Rays Road is Kumeu River’s new vineyard site in Hawkes Bay. This limestone hillside is at 180 m altitude, with a northerly aspect. It is dry-farmed to yield high quality grapes for wine under the Rays Road name for our 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.

Food Pairing: A food friendly, easy drinking, summer sipper wine, that pair great with appetizers and summer salads.