{"id":12944,"date":"2025-07-30T03:24:44","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T15:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944"},"modified":"2025-07-30T03:24:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T15:24:44","slug":"kumeu-river-2024-chardonnay-releases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944","title":{"rendered":"Kumeu River 2024 Chardonnay releases"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

This time of year calls for a trip out west to the annual release day of the latest single vineyard (and Estate) Chardonnays from Kumeu River. I\u2019m fortunate that this excellent producer is less than half an hour drive from my door. As I arrive there\u2019s a glass of Kumeu River Cr\u00e9mant<\/b> \u2013 the rather excellent Kumeu sparkling wine. They\u2019ve been carefully building up stocks of reserve wines for this. The dosage is trialled every year until a level is agreed upon \u2013 and this version from Magnum has a lovely creaminess to the palate that balances well with the tangy acidity.<\/p>

Paul Brajkovich (Marketing, Sales and Exports) introduces the family who are all present \u2013 Michael, the winemaker; Marijiana who looks after finances and marketing \u2013 and organising her three brothers; Milan, who has been the Viticultural Manager since 1986; and of course, Melba, the Matriarch who keeps an eye on it all and has been here since 1958 – still to be seen around the Cellar Door daily and telling stories – \u201csome of which may be true\u201d adds Paul.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

For the 2024 harvest, quantities are around thirty percent down – Coddington is particularly affected, with the vintage already sold out. there won\u2019t even be any at the Cellar Door next week. A weather event at flowering – cold and wet – was not good timing. The leaf roll virus and trunk disease at Coddington is also not helping. As it is a leased vineyard, the family can\u2019t afford to put too much resources – like replanting – in, so in some places, the canopy is simply being extended to cover gaps.<\/p>

In (sort of) better news – Hunting Hill is being replanted with more Chardonnay vines. The sad bit of this is that the Pinot Noir is making way for that. I\u2019m a fan of the Hunting Hill Pinot Noir, and am pleased that the box I chose to receive this year includes some of the 2021 vintage. The Hunting Hill vineyard doesn\u2019t have quite the problems associated with Coddington, so an increase of around a third in resources for Chardonnay here is a real boon.<\/p>

Everything at Kumeu River is made in a similar way \u2013 all hand-harvested, processed at the site at Kumeu, fermented using wild yeast, and most of the wines are put in oak barrels, with a varying degree of new oak. All go through 100% malolactic fermentation, and then aged on lees for about 11 months.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Mat\u00e9s vineyard is planted with Mendoza clone, which gives \u201chen and chicken\u201d berries in the bunch, where there are tiny berries in amongst the regular sized ones. These give an intensity to the mix – but only if treated right. A machine-picker would just blow these small berries off, so hand-harvest is essential. The same with using a destemmer machine – the little ones would just get discarded with the stems and stalks. Whole bunch pressing gets all the character from those – including the all-important tannin element that is a signature of Mat\u00e9s Vineyard Chardonnay.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

We talk about tannin in red wine, but it is an important part of white wines too – and to my mind it is what sets Mat\u00e9s apart from the other single vineyard wines that Kumeu River make. I have had comments – which I thank readers for – that people look forward to my comments and review of the new release of Mat\u00e9s Vineyard Chardonnay every year – almost more than anything else I do! Which is great – but I would advise you to also look out for what I have to say about one of their other wines – the Rays Road Chardonnay.<\/p>

Keen-eyed readers may recall that I was not so enamoured of the first vintage of the wine in 2018, that the family bought in Ruakaka, inland Hawke\u2019s Bay a few years ago. Now, however, this wine is really hitting its straps \u2013 having planted Clone 15 and 548 to go with the 95 that had been planted a dozen years before. I am now of the opinion that this vineyard is very much \u201cone to watch\u201d. Not only is it a very key part of the Kumeu River brand going forward, but, importantly, the wine now sits comfortably alongside its northern siblings in terms of quality and finesse.<\/p>

Rays Road Chardonnay<\/b> has a tense chalkiness showing the limestone terroir, but it certainly now shows a richness of fruit that wasn\u2019t evident in the first couple of vintages. The underlying minerality is clear, but with the ripe citrus fruit and power through the palate it\u2019s very balanced and elegant. Acidity is a key factor with this wine, and it has a zesty salinity through to a finish that is clean, fine and lengthy.<\/p>

The second wine in the line up is the Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay<\/b>, which has been made since 1985 using the best selection of what they had available from Kumeu. It\u2019s now made from six vineyard sites and immediately shows the difference between Hawke\u2019s Bay limestone and Kumeu clay. An age-worthy, complex and layered expression \u2013 perhaps a reflection of the lower yields this year? This could be the star of the vintage – at the price, certainly. A bright lemon, and grapefruit character sits alongside the peach, almond, lime curd and greengage in the bouquet. A zing of bright acidity forms a core and I don\u2019t normally say this – but this one could do with a little more time in bottle to show its best.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Third wine to taste is the Coddington Chardonnay<\/b>, which is comes from a north-facing sun trap of a vineyard about 3kms from the winery. I find this rich expression a little less attractive and having less drive than the first two. That ripe golden peach signature flavour is there, as usual, and a plush, textural quality. A spice and toast character (from the Gilet oak whose toasting is pretty heavy) compliments the ripeness in the fruit. This one does have immense approachability with the acidity keeping a balance across the palate. I know from the retrospective tastings that this wine does age well, but equally you could very easily be happy drinking this on release day.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Now we move on to Hunting Hill Chardonnay<\/b>, from the land across the road, sitting above Mat\u00e9s Vineyard. The vineyard was replanted with Clone 15 chardonnay in 2001, and it just keeps getting better. Now, in the twenty years that I have been visiting and getting to know the wines – this is the one that has sneaked up on me. Initially I couldn\u2019t see how it could possibly rival Mat\u00e9s for the jewel in the KR crown, but now – well, you\u2019ll have seen that the 2010 vintage was the only wine I have awarded 100\/100 marks to in the years I have been scoring wines on WineFolio (here > https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=11773<\/a>)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The perfume is intensely floral, with a lime blossom character, giving a distinctive citrus fragrance as well as lime, green apple, nectarine and tarragon on the nose. Complex, concentrated and intense, but with a softer honey, cashew butter note mid-palate. There is energy and power – a crystalline acidity gives line and superb length through layers of flavours and texture. A bite of pithy dryness elongates the finish.<\/p>

I have been known to describe Mat\u00e9s Vineyard Chardonnay<\/b> as \u2018beautiful chaos\u2019 on release. Winemaker Michael describes it as \u201chaving more stuff in it\u201d. A youthful concentration defines the bouquet \u2013 at the same time smoky and plush, spicy and clean – with lemon curd, white peach, pear, hazelnut, oatmeal, vanilla and incense. The tannin I mentioned earlier gives a zesty, mealy character and texture. The finish has splendid length and harmony – already quite seamless. Less brooding than some releases, I could, again, see myself trying this earlier than my usual 6-8 years down the track.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This time of year calls for a trip out west to the annual release day of the latest single vineyard (and Estate) Chardonnays from Kumeu River. I\u2019m fortunate that this … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing-about-wine","category-wine-review-by-winefolio"],"yoast_head":"\nKumeu River 2024 Chardonnay releases - WineFolio<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kumeu River 2024 Chardonnay releases - WineFolio\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This time of year calls for a trip out west to the annual release day of the latest single vineyard (and Estate) Chardonnays from Kumeu River. I\u2019m fortunate that this …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"WineFolio\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wine.folio.1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-29T15:24:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Chardy-bottles-of-24-main-h1.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1026\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David Walker Bell\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David Walker Bell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=12944#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=12944\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"David Walker Bell\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8b8706e15ba32f9782222c431fa75d9f\"},\"headline\":\"Kumeu River 2024 Chardonnay releases\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-29T15:24:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=12944\"},\"wordCount\":1326,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=12944#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/Chardy-bottles-of-24-main-h1.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Features\",\"Reviews\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=12944#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=12944\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=12944\",\"name\":\"Kumeu River 2024 Chardonnay releases - WineFolio\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=12944#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=12944#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/Chardy-bottles-of-24-main-h1.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-29T15:24:44+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=12944#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=12944\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=12944#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/Chardy-bottles-of-24-main-h1.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/Chardy-bottles-of-24-main-h1.jpeg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":1026,\"caption\":\"Kumeu River 2024 Chardonnay releases\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=12944#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Kumeu River 2024 Chardonnay releases\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/\",\"name\":\"WineFolio\",\"description\":\"A collection of writing about New Zealand Wine\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"WineFolio\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/WF_final_black.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/WF_final_black.png\",\"width\":999,\"height\":389,\"caption\":\"WineFolio\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/wine.folio.1\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/winefolio\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8b8706e15ba32f9782222c431fa75d9f\",\"name\":\"David Walker Bell\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8597b80119ac3781cc55cc862f5a0514b7945f701d24da2c585751e8ee210ba7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8597b80119ac3781cc55cc862f5a0514b7945f701d24da2c585751e8ee210ba7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8597b80119ac3781cc55cc862f5a0514b7945f701d24da2c585751e8ee210ba7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"David Walker Bell\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Kumeu River 2024 Chardonnay releases - WineFolio","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Kumeu River 2024 Chardonnay releases - WineFolio","og_description":"This time of year calls for a trip out west to the annual release day of the latest single vineyard (and Estate) Chardonnays from Kumeu River. I\u2019m fortunate that this …","og_url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944","og_site_name":"WineFolio","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wine.folio.1","article_published_time":"2025-07-29T15:24:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":1026,"url":"http:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Chardy-bottles-of-24-main-h1.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"David Walker Bell","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"David Walker Bell","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944"},"author":{"name":"David Walker Bell","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#\/schema\/person\/8b8706e15ba32f9782222c431fa75d9f"},"headline":"Kumeu River 2024 Chardonnay releases","datePublished":"2025-07-29T15:24:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944"},"wordCount":1326,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Chardy-bottles-of-24-main-h1.jpeg","articleSection":["Features","Reviews"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944","url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944","name":"Kumeu River 2024 Chardonnay releases - WineFolio","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Chardy-bottles-of-24-main-h1.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-07-29T15:24:44+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Chardy-bottles-of-24-main-h1.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Chardy-bottles-of-24-main-h1.jpeg","width":1600,"height":1026,"caption":"Kumeu River 2024 Chardonnay releases"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=12944#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Kumeu River 2024 Chardonnay releases"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#website","url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/","name":"WineFolio","description":"A collection of writing about New Zealand Wine","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#organization","name":"WineFolio","url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/WF_final_black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/WF_final_black.png","width":999,"height":389,"caption":"WineFolio"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wine.folio.1","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/winefolio\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#\/schema\/person\/8b8706e15ba32f9782222c431fa75d9f","name":"David Walker Bell","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8597b80119ac3781cc55cc862f5a0514b7945f701d24da2c585751e8ee210ba7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8597b80119ac3781cc55cc862f5a0514b7945f701d24da2c585751e8ee210ba7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8597b80119ac3781cc55cc862f5a0514b7945f701d24da2c585751e8ee210ba7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"David Walker Bell"}}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Chardy-bottles-of-24-main-h1.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12944"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12944\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12954,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12944\/revisions\/12954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}