New Zealand’s most celebrated chardonnay maker has just raised its own game. 2009 is the finest season yet at Kumeu River, and if there’s one wine you must not miss, it’s Hunting Hill. The Brajkovichs are slowly recognising the pedigree of this vineyard, always the first picked of the estate, and in future it will rightfully be a little more expensive than Coddington. The texture of this wine is a revelation: deep-set yet finely poised, carrying a remarkable mouthfeel, impeccably honed and elegantly refined. Over this wafts an ethereal layer of white florals, taut white peach, honed lemon zest, grapefruit, subtle sulphite and notes of struck flint and gunpowder. A wine of finesse and tightly coiled power; its length is profound and its focus impeccable. $46 at Discount Wines.