“Toasty chestnut flavors emphasize the rich, round notes of lemon, nectarine and ripe pear, with a crushed stone minerality that shines through, especially on the finish. Extremely smooth and graceful.”

“Full-bodied and lush, the Hickory Hill is the most ebullient of the 2008s from Kumeu River, laced with oak and lees embellishments of toasted almonds, vanilla and hickory smoke yet balanced by rounded, melony fruit. It finishes long and citrusy, suggesting it may evolve positively for at least a few years.”

“The 2008 Hunting Hill Chardonnay comes from a vineyard just across from the winery, also planted to Clone 5. It’s a slightly cooler site with an iron pan running beneath the vineyard. This is the third vintage of this label. Made in a similar fashion to the Coddington Chardonnay, this wine gives powerful lime/lemon aromas with some grapefruit zest and orange blossom plus a whiff of chalk. Very crisp, intense and silky, this is a more restrained, tight-knit expression leaving a very long mineral and citrus zest finish.”