The icon, the hero. In 1990, Maté Brajkovich reworked the land and planted a new vineyard of Chardonnay vines on the site of the original vineyard that he and his family purchased in March 1944. Sadly, Maté didn't get to see any wine from this site as he died in 1992; however, his legacy lives on with what is among the finest NZ wines of all. Meticulously made, the contrast between surprisingly crisp acidity and a grapefruity, nutty golden palate makes this a truly sublime Chardonnay.

The Brajkovich family and their estate, Kumeu River Wines, have a story that parallels the New Zealand wine industry. From the pioneering days of the New Zealand wine industry to today, the Brajkovich family has been internationally recognised for producing world-class wine. In 1937, Mick and Katé Brajkovich arrived in New Zealand from Croatia and bought a plot of land north of Auckland. Mick's son Maté made wine and had four children. Today, those 4 children live and work on the same plot of land, and craft some of New Zealand's greatest wines. In all of this, it is worth noting that the modern New Zealand wine industry really only got going in the 1970s...so Kumeu River is truly something special. The estate itself encompasses 30 hectares of vineyards, with Chardonnay the real hero of the property. The vines are unirrigated, mature, and well looked after, producing fruit that makes wines that are balanced, harmonious, and complex. This is a wonderful place producing wonderful wine.