As the name indicates, a single vineyard wine from the Gimblett Gravels sub-region of Hawkes Bay. Mostly Merlot, with some Cabernet Franc too.
Intense, slightly jammy but interesting red fruit flavours on the nose, supported by powdery vanilla oak and a distinctive clean salt water note (odd but attractive). Not hugely complex, and quite oaky, but nice nonetheless. The wine's middle palate is disappointing in that it shows a good deal of fruit flavour, but also a prominence of oak that, for me, is detrimental to the wine's balance. The oak continues to dominate the wine's flavour profile as it progresses through the after palate and finish. Tannins are fine and puckeringly prominent.
At the moment, this wine is way too oak-driven for my taste, and I'm not sure there's the depth of fruit flavour to outlast the development of the oak-derived flavours in the bottle. It's a shame because the fruit itself appears to be of good (if not outstanding) quality and interest. I'd like to see wine from this area done in a more restrained, fruit-driven style.
Craggy Range
Price: $NZ29
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: December 2007
Intense, slightly jammy but interesting red fruit flavours on the nose, supported by powdery vanilla oak and a distinctive clean salt water note (odd but attractive). Not hugely complex, and quite oaky, but nice nonetheless. The wine's middle palate is disappointing in that it shows a good deal of fruit flavour, but also a prominence of oak that, for me, is detrimental to the wine's balance. The oak continues to dominate the wine's flavour profile as it progresses through the after palate and finish. Tannins are fine and puckeringly prominent.
At the moment, this wine is way too oak-driven for my taste, and I'm not sure there's the depth of fruit flavour to outlast the development of the oak-derived flavours in the bottle. It's a shame because the fruit itself appears to be of good (if not outstanding) quality and interest. I'd like to see wine from this area done in a more restrained, fruit-driven style.
Craggy Range
Price: $NZ29
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: December 2007
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