| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | New Zealand > Hawkes Bay |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Craggy Range
A super-smooth blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc with dense, complex mixed red berries, blackcurrant, floral, violet, anise, spice, cedar, new leather and nutty oak flavours. A powerful wine that’s impressive now but shows obvious cellaring potential. Drink 2017-2025.
Bitter tannins and sour plum notes abound in this wine. The blend is 73% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Cabernet Franc. Apparently, there was some scarring on the Cabernet Sauvignon but there are no burnt notes or overt astringency in the wine. The sour theme is rather enticing and refreshing and it lifts the finish. The heat, later in the season, gives it a crunchiness to the tannins which is rather exciting and savoury. This is a very interesting wine and it is worthy of five years of cellaring before you open it.
A beautiful Sophia. The concentration, the fruit presence and purity, the measured tannins and confident ripeness – there's so much to impress here and the wine is at the start of a very long ride. Blueberry and cassis, cherries and violets, fresh earth and stony elements, too. The palate holds long and fleshy with a flawlessly integrated array of flavors, varieties and tannin textures. It builds and finishes assertively in the mode of great Claret. You can approach it now, but it will hit full stride around 2025 and drink for at least a decade after that.
