Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesA very fresh, lithe and juicy feel to this sauvignon with bright, juicy green passion fruit and green mangoes taking center stage, amid fresh, stony resolve. Drink now. Screw cap.
This vintage of Craggy Range’s classic Martinborough SB favors grassy, green herbal notes, woven with zesty lemon-lime, passion fruit and seashell nuances. As it warms in the glass, it offers more generous fruit. The palate is zesty, with green herbal notes riding straight through to the finish. There’s a lovely balance of texture and acidity with length and freshness, it’s just a baby, and could benefit from another year in the bottle.
From the cool-climate of Martinborough, intense aromatics carry zesty grapefruit, tangerine and ripe peach alongside fresh earth notes. These continue on the crisp, mineral palate, where exceptionally bright lemon verbena meets fresh-cut grass, giving way to clean, harmonious finish.
Complete and complex, this sauvignon has layers of earthy citrus flavor, from spicy grapefruit zest to tangy orange pulp. The fruit texture is succulent while the acidity offers a bitter edge to keep it firm and structured. Pour it with citrusy fluke crudo. Best Buy
There’s a sense of intensity and polish to the vivid flavors of pear, peach and lemon meringue, set on a supple body, with juicy acidity that gushes on the finish, accompanied by details of matcha and dried ginger. Drink now.
Craggy Range is a family owned winery established in 1997 named by U.S publication Wine Enthusiast magazine as New World Winery of the Year for 2014. It is situated in the shadow of the spectacular Te Mata Peak in the premium wine growing area of Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. Based on the single vineyard philosophy of winemaking, Craggy Range was the first in the Southern Hemisphere to make single vineyard wines from multiple New Zealand regions with grape varieties matched to place. The winery produces a portfolio of quality wines including the iconic Prestige and Family collections, as well as Limited Editions all reflecting the place and the people.
The grapes, grown in exceptional winery-owned New Zealand estate vineyards in Hawke’s Bay, Martinborough and Marlborough, are selected for their special soils and unique climates producing wines of character, quality and authority. The architecturally inspired Giants winery complex and vineyard is also home to the Craggy Range Cellar Door and the award winning restaurant Terroir at Craggy Range. Nestled amongst the vines, the four Craggy Range Vineyard Cottages offer self-contained boutique accommodation.
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.
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.