92pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2024 Village Chardonnay had just been freshly bottled when I tasted it at the estate in Kumeu in March 2025. The other 2024 Chardonnays were tasted as tank samples prior to filtration and bottling soon. The wine leads with yellow citrus and crushed shells. It is texturally fine, sleek and tightly coiled around a core of salty acidity. It is complex but composed and very good.

"2024 was a fantastic year, just very small," says Paul Brajkovich. "Weather during flowering wasn't good in spring in 2023," says Michael Brajkovich. "Ripening in 2024 was excellent, so we have a 40% down in yield but very high quality. The Village wine is a blend of Kumeu and Hawke's Bay [and is] a mixture of barrel and tank fermentation."

Winemaker's Notes

The perfect aperitif Chardonnay, it's a wine that pairs very well with all types of seafood. This vintage is 30% fermented in old French oak barrels and 70% in stainless steel tanks. The barrel fermentation adds richness without overwhelming oak influence, while the tank fermentation lets the vibrant fruit shine. Expect lively lime and lemon aromas, complemented by a flinty, mineral palate with notes of fig and white peach.

The weighty mid-palate also shows peachy ripeness along with crisp acid minerality that gives the wine a refreshing cleansing quality. This wine is delightful as an aperitif, and even better to drink with fish and shellfish.