Winemaker Notes
From the lower terrace of our Te Muna Road Vineyard in Martinborough, this wine is sourced exclusively from several parcels of vines growing on stony, limestone influenced soils.
Pale lemon straw. Vibrant aromas of nectarine, green apple, honeysuckle and a hint of nettle. Lovely precision on the palate with a core of zesty fruit and a long satisfyingly dry textural finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has a refined and sleek style to it with very impressive, seamless palate-weight and long, lime and green-mango flavors. The acidity is a treat. Passion-fruit finish. Drink now. Screw cap.
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Decanter
An impressive bouquet of classic gooseberry and citrus aromas, with sweet herbs, ripe pineapple, zesty lime and a dash of melon. Great precision, purity and length.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine bursts with aromas of lime, pineapple, peach and apple, followed by the variety’s characteristic green bell pepper and nettle aromas. The palate is viscous but balanced by focused acidity. Less fruity than the nose, the herbal, vegetal nuances get the chance to shine here. It is a classy, even elegant Sauvignon from the bottom of New Zealand’s North Island.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Craggy Range's 2018 Te Muna Road Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is a reassuring return to form. It boasts effusive aromas of guava, gooseberry and pink grapefruit, while remaining resolutely dry on the medium-bodied palate and ending with silky-textured length.
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Wine & Spirits
While the texture of this wine is round and sappy, with a green-almond richness, the lime-like acidity adds a spicy, floral edge. It takes sauvignon in a completely different direction than Marlborough’s passion fruit– scented wines. Ready to decant for trout almondine.
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Wine Spectator
Peach, pear and pineapple flavors are fresh and juicy in this white, with accents of honeysuckle and fresh ginger that linger on the smooth and refreshing finish.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
Part of the Wairarapa region in the southern end of the country’s North Island, Martinborough is a bucolic appellation full of artisan, lifestyle wine producers. Above all else, their goals are to tend vineyards for low yields and create wines of supreme quality. Pinot noir is the main grape variety here, occupying over half of the land under vine.
Comparing topography, climate and soils, the region is nearly identical to Marlborough except that it produces top quality reds on the regular.