(Sorry Sue, it took some time, but finally, here it is)
Some time ago, I had the great pleasure of having a tasting and lunch with the Kiwi Steve Smith, the owner of Craggy Range. Together with his companion, who evidently was responsible for bringing in the money, he started the Craggy Range Winery in 1999.
Steve himself is a viticulturist since 15 years. He is also a Master of Wine and it is soon clear when one listens to him that he has an enormous amount of knowledge an most things vinous. Craggy Range started in Hawke’s Bay, but they now own, or source grapes from many parts of New Zealand, also the south island. They have also launched a second label, called Wild Rock, which, according to Steve, they use for “blends with freedom and fun”.
As always with people who know what they are talking about and that are dedicated to what they are doing, it was a great pleasure to listen to Steve. Part of the pleasure for me also came from listening to his Kiwi accent, that was new to me. Once I understood the basic switch from e to i, as in limon/lemon, git/get, blind/blend, etc, I even managed to understand most of what he said. I guess I know a bit better now what Sue and Neil sound like. I might in fact have to call them on Skype one day, just to check out…
Here's a pic of Steve in action:
My notes from the tasting:
2006 Infamous Goose Sauvignon Blanc, Wild Rock
Fresh and spicy, almost Riesling like nose with nettles and a hint of elder flowers.
Very fresh, spicy and a bit prickling attack. Black currant leaves. Long stylish aftertaste with a nice minerality. Fresh and rather restrained. Very much to my taste.
2007 Te Muna Sauvignon Blanc, Craggy Range
Full bodied, aromatic and very typical NZ Sauvignon Blanc nose. Cat’s pee, goose berries and elder flowers.
Chewable, fat fruit, but also a good acidity. Fiery. Long, full bodied and spicy aftertaste. Taste of talk, according to Steve Smith. Very well made, but I preferred the fresher and spicier style of the Infamous Goose.
2006 Cupids Arrow Pinot Noir, Wild Rock
Made from Central Otago fruit. Quite deep purple, almost cerise colour.
Red fruits in the nose. Young and rather light Pinot character with quite a bit of rubber.
The taste starts fresh and rather vegetal. Spicy taste with a pronounced acidity and some bitterness. Some dry tannins. Fresh, very acidity driven aftertaste. Lacking charm and pinosity.
2006 Te Muna Road Pinot Noir
Pale red colour. Warm, deep and rather full nose. Charming and with warm, ripe Pinot fruit. Strawberries and toasted notes from the barrels. More warmth than fruity. Very much in a style that I consider to be typically Martinborough. Nice chewable tannins. Long, thick aftertaste that is dominated a bit too much by the toasted notes. Bottled in March. 9-10 months in barriques, about 40% new.
2005 Les Beaux Cailloux Chardonnay, Craggy Range, 300 cases made, wild yeast fermented.
Rather lean and mineral nose (sorry Sue…), almost a bit dusty but with a good, deep fruit. Also showing a bit of well integrated oak.
Fresh and chewable attack. Good, fresh acidity and a good intensity. Long, fiery and intense aftertaste. Very good, would need some more time.
2004 Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels, Craggy Range, 3500 cases made.
Bordeaux blind, sorry, blend. Mostly Merlot and the rest the usual Bordeux suspects.
Dark purple. Deep and fresh nose with mint and dark fruit. Tasty, toasted oak. Tobacco. A bit lean.
Very fresh and juicy taste with a remarkable acidity. Fresh and with young fruitiness. Quite a lot of coarse, dryish tannins giving a dry aftertaste. Clearly a nice wine that need much more time to open up and have the edges a bit rounded off.
2005 Sophia, Craggy Range, 350 – 1 200 cases made. Differing from year to year depending on the quality of the grapes.
Another Merlot dominated blend. About 60 % Merlot and 30 % Cabernet Franc, the rest Cab Sauv and Malbec.
Dark purple. Stylish nose with dark, warm fruit and a whiff of mint. Tasty, roasted oak. Good depth and tasty, toasted oak notes that are well integrated in the deep fruit. Hint of alcohol.
Thick and fat attack. Rather fiery. Good acidity. Very broad and dark fruit. Some coarse earthiness. Heavy tannins, giving a thick mouthfeel. Long, warm, fiery and intensive aftertaste which is thick and chewable and with a hint of a bitter earthiness.
2005 Le Sol Syrah, Craggy Range, 160 – 500 cases made.
Dark purple. Wonderfully delicious aromatic character of the Syrah grapes. Black pepper, violets and other similar flowers, red fruit and even a hint of mosquito repellent and some bacon fat. It was such a marvellously aromatic and pure expression of the variety that it made me coin the expression “Maximum Syrahsity” in analogy with the phrase “Maximum Pinosity” that is used to describe the purity of Pinot fruit in many of the Pinots from Central Otago.
Very fresh and clean attack. Intense, aromatic and pure. Refreshingly acidic and pure fruit. Deliciously chewable tannins and a long, intensive, aromatic aftertaste, finally ending a little tight and fiery. What a lovely wine! I really would love to have a case of this to be able to follow how it will develop. Definitely drinkable now, but I would really like to know which road this wine will take. Price in Sweden around EUR 42, USD 56.
A fine tasting. No wonder I love the wines of New Zealand.
Cheers,
Anders