Michael Brajkovich, Winemaker

When you think of wines from New Zealand what comes to mind first?  Probably something with a strong tart pink grapfruit and cat piss smell in most cases… but, not from Kumeu River Wines near Auckland.  They are touting some pretty fantastic Chardonnay these days because they have found this variety performs best in their vineyards as opposed to the more well-known regional varieties of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.  I had an opportunity to sit down with Michael Brajkovich, the 2nd generation winemaker of Kumeu (pronounced Koo-Myew), during his visit to Hinton’s in Atlanta and received a wonderful history lesson as well as some insight into the world of natural wine and native yeast.

The family emigrated from Dalmatia, a region in present day Croatia, to New Zealand in response to Government control of the region and the regulatory requirement that all males 16-18 enter the army.  Once in their new home, the family made ends meet by farming their orchards, raising cattle as well as fishing before eventually planting wine grapes.  Initially, Michael’s dad produced fortified wines including Sherry, however, he was more partial to dryer wines and eventually started growing and producing Muller-Thurgau, a white variety of German origin, in the 1960′s though it was still in the style of an aperitif.  Michael knew at an early age he would stick with the family business of making wine and joined the team as a winemaker in the early 1970′s after attending university.  By that time, the new cafe style dining trends of the time led to increased demand for completely dry wine styles.  Kumeu had 60 acres consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay and worked with different trellising designs throughout, with the Lyre design becoming most prominent.

By the mid 1980′s Kumeu was devoted to using natural ferments, which means they let the ambient yeast from vineyard and winery start each fermentation batch.  Studies of ferments at the winery confirmed that upwards of 8 different species of yeast were present throughout fermentation, with the well-known S. cerevisiae completing the job.  Additionally, Michael allows his Chardonnay to age sur lie with battonage for an extended period of time by implementing a Bordeaux technique that includes taking the wine off the lees for a week before putting it back in and then oxygenating.  This process counters disulfides that can build up during sur lie aging and allows for extended time on the lees allowing the yeast to facilitate more distinctive aromatics and other varietal characteristics.  Additionally, it keeps the buttery notes to a minimum since yeast consumes diacetyl, the major contributor of butter-esque characteristics.  Ultimately, Michael employs a Burgundian style of winemaking, especially the use of an older barrel regime, as he never wants his wine to smell or taste like oak, as well as malolactic fermentation (MLF) as a means to reduce acid and round out the wine and never to add buttery notes!  All of the fruit for every wine is hand-harvested and whole-berry pressed as well.

The 5 Chardonnays we tasted on this evening were just phenomenal and nothing like I’ve experienced before.  At times when I felt I experienced a toasty like aroma, Michael assured me that it was most likely caused by the extended yeast contact and less from oak, since they use well-used barrels that were more than 5 years old and not giving off much oak characteristics anymore.

2005 Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay – completely barrel fermented in French oak.  2005 was a cooler vintage and as such will age faster.  If you can get your hands on the 2004, it is looking really good and will have a longer life.

2007 Kumeu River Village Chardonnay- from the lower end of the vineyards, this was a little sharp with significant minerality.  2/3rds were fermented in stainless steel with the rest in barrel and spent 6 months on the lees with battonage.  Slightly toast notes on the nose, again, from the yeast as explained above.

2007 Kumeu River Coddington Chardonnay- this vineyard is owned by a grower/filmaker and the first harvest was in 1998.  We get much more apricot and peach fruit and they do use more and stronger oak with this one.

2007 Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay – this vineyard overlooks the more infamous Mate’s vineyard and has a South and West aspect.  There is much more fruit on the nose with some white flower.  The mineral is barely detected.  This was my favorite.

2007 Kumeu River Mate’ s Vineyard Chardonnay- the creme de la creme and the vineyard is named for Michael’s father.  We got much more mouthfeel and texture with this wine, which uses 30% new oak.  The grapes in this vineyard are from the Mendoza clone developed by H. Olmo of UC-Davis, labeled UDC-01.  Unfortunately, the vineyard has the leafroll virus, but is still able to produce fantastically high quality fruit.  Not sure how much longer this will be able to happen, so get it while you can.

Michael is a great story teller and passionate winemaker making some fantastic Chardonnay from a region more well known for other wines.  If you’re looking for variety, texture and wines that melt in your mouth, look no further than Kumeu River.

Cheers!