Lamont’s
11 February 2010
There are wineries that have spent many years making great wines and have a deserved reputation for quality. Moss Wood, Cullen, Leeuwin, Rockford and Wendouree all spring to mind and they are deservedly considered as icons. Year in – year out, I save my pennies to buy a bottle or two of these wines as they are released.
There is also a group of wineries with little or no history that burst onto the scene with high quality (and high priced) wines. I have often wondered how they can charge such high prices for wines with no pedigree. Given the choice, I have continued to buy the wines of my favourite producers in preference to these young guns.
When the chance came up to try the wines of New Zealand’s Craggy Range at Lamont’s recently, I had the opportunity to try a range of wines from a new, highly regarded and expensive winery that is forging a reputation for quality right from the start. Part of the attraction was the amount of hype that John Jens generated for Craggy Range’s viticulturalist Steve Smith. John is very enthusiastic about all things vinous, but his excitement was even greater than normal.
Steve proved to be an entertaining and informative speaker and described the process that has taken Craggy Range from a concept to commercial reality over the last ten or so years. The winery makes wines from various regions around New Zealand, but their home is the Gimlett Gravels in Hawks Bay. This tasting focussed on the wines from the Gimlett Gravel
Reviewed:
Craggy Range – Chardonnay – Gimlett Gravels – 2008 (17.8). Stone-fruit, melon and peach characters with some subtle but noticeable oak on the nose. The palate is all about texture and mouth-feel, with creamy, high quality oak that masks the fruit. There is excellent length, and the wine needs 2-3 years to integrate.
Craggy Range – Chardonnay – Le Beaux Cailoux – 2007 (17.3). This smells and tastes expensive due to the expansive winemaking inputs. The nose is generous, showing mineral characters, but the fruit is shut down at the moment. The palate is creamy, big and powerful, with more obvious oak characters with evident toasting. A powerful wine, but not for the delicate.
Craggy Range – Merlot Blend – Te Kahu – 2007 (17). Aromatic, supple and fruit driven, with pleasant plummy fruit. In the mouth, this is fine, elegant and supple, with juicy fruit. Shows blueberry and earthy characters. Some cherry and tar to close.
Craggy Range – Merlot – Gimlett Gravels – 2007 (17.9). Perfumed, elegant, supple and juicy with just a touch of funky earthy characters to the blueberry fruit. The palate is firm to start, with shy fruit, though the plummy fruit builds on the rich finish. The oak is cleverly handled, though the finish is closed at the moment. Have with hearty food or wait 5 years.
Craggy Range – Merlot/Cabernet Franc – Sophia – 2007 (18+). Dense and powerful, with cigar box/cedar characters and black fruits. The palate is powerful, structured and long, showing ripe fruit but pleasing sour cherries to the finish. The dark fruit is chewy and the oak is well handled. The finish is long and dense. Really needs 5-10 yrs to open up.
Craggy Range – Shiraz – Block 14 – 2007 (17). Really peppery to open with spice, licorice and tar in a supple fruit driven style. There is also a touch of vanilla and cedar to close. Not complex, but good drinking.
Craggy Range – Shiraz – Le Sol – 2007 (18.5). More colour to this. The nose is more powerful, with bright red fruit. This is complex, alluring and really deep smelling. This is brooding, dense and structured with tar and licorice overlaying the red fruits. The high quality oak has been absorbed by the fruit. Very good indeed.
Conclusion.
There is no doubt that the wines of Craggy Range are good to superb. The Le Sol and the Sophia are both outstanding. Will I buy them? Maybe not. While I can buy 3 bottles of the Langi shiraz for the same price as two of the Le Sol, I know what I will be buying. Houghton’s Gladstone or Sophia? I am less decisive. Whilst the Gladstone is a relatively new label, Houghton is not and they are making some of the best cabernets in Australia.
If you are looking for high quality wine though, that is a bit different, then Craggy Range would be a great place to start. The standard chardonnay is probably the best value in this line-up.