97 points,"The mineral character of this wine is currently so pronounced and the fruit so closed that it's not easy, also because of the slight funk from reduction, to identify the grape variety. On the palate, this marathon-runner Chardonnay is very clean and highly structured with lots of drive, the finish very long and complex."- James Suckling 96+ points,"Beautiful sweet lemon blossom, white peach and honeysuckle notes, waxy green apples and real lift. The palate is intensely concentrated and rich with power, punch and real energy. This is one to watch, possibly the best expression since 2010 and 2014."- Greg Sherwood MW 95 points,"Always the longest lived of the Kumeu River Chards, the 2017 Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay starts off smoky and flinty, marked by zesty grapefruit and lime fruit. It's medium to full-bodied yet tightly coiled, with great energy, thrust and vitality, which translate into tremendous length on the electric finish."- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate Maté's Vineyard Chardonnay is a single-vineyard expression and Kumeu's top release. Intense and citrusy on the nose, this wine reveals hints of toast and herbs along with lifted pear aromas and a mineral edge. The palate is structured, crisp and concentrated showing focused flavours of peach, hazelnut, citrus and toast. Incredibly long on the finish, this almost Burgundian example has great potential to develop and improve over the next 10 years and beyond. Delicious when paired with fish dishes. Widely regarded as the best Chardonnay producer in New Zealand, and consecutively named in the Top 100 Wines of the World by the Wine Spectator, Kumeu River was established in 1944 by Dalmatian-born Maté Brajkovich. The winery rose to its full potential first in 1982 when Matés son, and New Zealand's first Master of Wine, Michael took over the reins. Michael vastly improved the quality of the fruit through improved drainage systems, planting grass between the vine rows and changing the trellis system in the vineyards.£6.93 per 100.00ml