crag·gy /kragē/ adjective full of crags. rugged; harsh; rough.
Craggy Range is located in the winegrowing region of Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand. It began in 1993 as an idea that Terry and Mary Peabody had to leave behind a legacy for their future generations. Their family’s love of quality wine created a desire within them to build a winery from the vines up. They searched through the USA, France and Australia to find the perfect location, but in the end it was New Zealand that captured their hearts and minds.
The Peabody’s together with viticulturist, Steve Smith, carefully selected two vineyards in Hawke’s Bay: Gimblett Gravels Vineyard, an ideal location for red Bordeaux varietals such as Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, and Te Muna Road Vineyard, which has two terraces, the higher one for Pinot Noir and the lower for Sauvignon Blanc.
It was important to the Peabody’s that Craggy Range remain a family owned winery, so they took steps to protect their legacy by establishing a 1000-year trust which ensures that the winery can never be sold.
In 2006 Craggy Range was joined by their, now, Chief Winemaker, Matt Stafford, who has a bachelor’s degree in soil science and a postgraduate diploma in Vinticulture and Oenology. “Matt chases complexity and uses a minimal intervention approach allowing the flavours of the vineyard to flow through, producing wines that are a pure expression of their place.”[1]
Craggy Range was “the first winery in the Southern Hemisphere to produce single vineyard wines”[2] and in 2014 it was bestowed with the distinction of ‘New World Winery of the Year’ by Wine Enthusiast.
Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc hails from several parcels of vines growing in the Te Muna Road Vineyard in Martinborough. In the glass the wine is the colour of pale straw. The glass emits a nose of guava and green apple, then, for me, it hints towards green pepper. It is a medium bodied wine with lemon, lime and passionfruit on the palate and stone fruit, like fresh apricot, on the long finish. What I enjoyed most about this wine though, cannot be expressed by telling you what it tastes like. What I enjoyed most was its intense palate and balanced, mouthwatering acidity; this wine can be enjoyed equally as much on its own as with food. On Sauvignon Blanc Day (which, coincidentally, also happened to be Cinco de Mayo) I paired this wine with some excellent fish tacos in a light chipotle sauce and some equally lovely pulled-pork carnitas. The acidity in the wine perfectly cut through the fat from the pork and deep fried fish, and the intensity of the wine’s palate was still able to shine through the flavours in the meal. A lovely wine for sure!
[2] Bell, K. (April 3, 2014). In The Cellar (On A Falcon 7X Jet) With Terry Peabody of Craggy Range. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/katiebell/2014/04/03/in-the-cellar-on-a-falcon-7x-jet-wthin-terry-peabody-of-craggy-range/#e6570f8fe612
Not only do I enjoy your written word, I love your pictures of the different wine bottles.