Craggy Range Sophia 2016

Craggy Range Winery in New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay is a partnership established by Australian businessman Terry Peabody and Master of Wine Steve Smith. It began in 1997 with a shared vision: the selection of the very best land and the planting of densely planted, low-yielding vineyards with varieties ideally suited to each parcel of land and the creation of world-class winemaking facilities that respect the best both of tradition and innovation.

It is these principles which have driven the entire system of farming and winemaking at Craggy Range.

Craggy Range work with vineyards across Hawke’s Bay, Martinborough, Marlborough and Central Otago and each one is split into as many as 60 different parcels. Every Craggy Range wine comes from a single vineyard with individual parcels fermented and matured separately to allow flexibility to make small lots of unique wines. Overall direction came from expert Steve Smith who oversaw viticultural practices and winemaking – his aim was to achieve texture, complexity, character and balance in the wines.

There are two wineries both located in Hawke’s Bay. The largest of these is the state-of-the-art, architecturally impressive Giant’s winery which is located in the shadow of the Te Mata Peak. The impressive visitor facilities here include an award-winning restaurant called Terroir and there is also on-site luxurious cottage accommodation for rent.

The expanding Craggy Range portfolio features an impressive range of Martinborough varietals under the Te Muna Road label which have gentle texture and real class. The food-friendly sauvignon blanc is in particular demand. The more boutique wines made in even smaller quantities include those labelled under Gimblett Gravels, The Quarry and Aroha. The most iconic wines in the portfolio are Le Sol, a reserve-level syrah made only in the best vintages reminiscent of Northern Rhône in its power, and Sophia Merlot, a Bordeaux-style single-vineyard blend matured in French oak with a bold, muscular structure.