Kumeu River Rays Road Chardonnay 2021
Rays Road is Kumeu River’s new vineyard site located in New Zealand's Hawkes Bay region. This limestone hillside is at 180 meters altitude, with a northerly aspect and is dry-farmed to yield high quality grapes for wine under the Kumeu River Rays Road label. This Chardonnay was hand-harvested, whole bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeast in older French Oak barrels. The limestone soils of this vineyard give quite a different expression to the vineyards 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.