2014 New Zealand

This property is named after the owner’s great, great-grandfather and New Zealand’s first Surveyor General, John Turnbull Thomson, who carried out a marathon reconnaissance survey of Otago in 1857. The vineyard practises biodynamic viticulture and the wines are made by prominent local winemaker Dean Shaw of the Central Otago Wine Company.

The Surveyor Thomson Pinot is immediately soft and appealing on the nose, with generous red and black berry fruit. There is a lovely depth to the fruit but it is not lush at all. Instead this is a tight, focused Pinot Noir with an herbal twist and a crunchy, fresh, black-fruited finish. Drink now to 2024.

Of the Single Vineyards, the Coddington is the most approachable in its youth. Another great wine from Chardonnay masters Kumeu River. The 2014 Coddington is brimming with orchard fruit, baked lemon and a saline, mineral note – New Zealand’s answer to Chassagne Montrachet perhaps. Lots of nervy acidity on the palate, with hint of peach and orange blossom adding weight. I’d give this a couple of years in the cellar. Drink 2018-2025
Fergus Stewart, Private Account Manager

Established in 1944, Kumeu River Wines is still owned and operated by the Brajkovich Family.  Michael Brajkovich is producing some of the best New Zealand Chardonnays currently available, wines that get their inspiration from white Burgundy and in particular the likes of Puligny Montrachet & Chassagne Montrachet, especially in terms of reserve and minerality. 

There is a rather tired tendency amongst the trade to compare New world with Old world wines but genuinely the Kumeu wines are comparable.  This comparison in no way takes away any of the new Zealand-ness of these wines, it is just meant to emphasise the extreme quality one can find here at a fraction of the price one would spend for the same quality in the Northern hemisphere.

These terroir driven wines compete with the best the New World has to offer like Giaconda, Penfold’s Yattarna but with a price attractive to many. The current vintage of 2014 is once again an exemplary vintage in a string of superb offerings from this estate.  For any white wine lover, these Chardonnays are a must have.

Nigel Greening is incredibly excited by the 2014 vintage, in fact he goes as far as to say "I can truly say it is the most exciting set of wines I have ever seen us release, and by some margin." The Bannockburn Pinot Noir is the first of the 2014s to hit our shores and give a fantastic insight into why this vintage is so eagerly anticipated. The warm, bright red cherry fruit is generous, yet is balanced with a delicate precision and focus. The tannins are smooth with just enough presence to add grip and a lovely minerality comes through on the long finish. Nigel says the Pinots of this vintage "dance rather than sit" and I have to agree with him. The 2014 Bannockburn is a beautiful wine.
Catriona Felstead MW May 2015