Editors notes
Gimblett Gravels encompasses a centuries old dry river bed in Hawkes Bay that is believed to be the first in the New World where the ultimate boundary is defined by a distinct soil type. The vines are planted in the stoniest parts of the vineyard to a heritage clone of Syrah brought to New Zealand in the 1840s.
Brooding aromatics of dried dark rose, violets, blackberry and a lift of sandalwood; characteristic of the red wines from the Gimblett Gravels.
Power and elegance jostle across the palate. Classic fine grained tannins vitalize the rich fruit core and carry the wine long for an elegant, dry and sophisticated finish. Quintessential cool-climate Syrah.
Details
-
Wine Type
-
Vintage
-
Variety
-
Brand
-
Location
-
Cellaring
-
Closure
-
Alcohol Percentage
-
Bottle Size
-
Oak Type
Tasting Profile
-
Light (Light)Full (Full)
-
Low Tannin (Low Tannin)Tannic (Tannic)
-
Sweet (Sweet)Dry (Dry)
-
Low Acidity (Low Acidity)High Acidity (High Acidity)
-
Aroma
- Blackberry
- Blueberry
- Pepper
-
Palate
- Blackberry
- Fruit Cake
- Tobacco
Food Pairings
-
Pork -
Red Meat
Critic Scores & reviews
-
Bob Campbell MW
99"Dense, intense and complex syrah that combines power and finesse. A deep, dark wine with a heady perfume and dark berry, plum, violet and pepper-spice flavours. Clearly a wine worth cellaring, although it is deliciously drinkable now"
-
Andrew Caillard MW
96
Other vintages
Love this wine? Here's a list of other vintages we have in stock if you'd like to try them as well.
Current auction
All current auctions for this wine & any different vintages.
Locations
New Zealand
The New Zealand wine industry is one of the younger wine regions in the world, whose popularity grew immensely when Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc hit the world wine scene, quite unique in style when compared to the typical French Sancerre.
Wine is successfully cultivated on both the North and South islands from a latitude of 36 degrees in the North to 45 degrees for the most southerly wine region in the world, the South Island's Central Otago. The majority of regions are located in free-draining alluvial valleys except for Waiheke Island and Kawarau Gorge in Central Otago and benefit from the moderating effect of the maritime climate as no vineyard is more than 80 miles from the ocean. With plentiful sunshine hours and cool evening sea breezes, the grapes thrive.
Sauvignon Blanc is the major white variety people will think of when you mention New Zealand Whites, however fantastic Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and less commonly Viognier, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Blanc. Pinot Noir is the most widely planted red variety in New Zealand although Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot (Bordeaux Blends), Syrah are also grown and in even smaller amounts, Tempranillo and Montepulcianos can too be found. Sparkling wines of very high standards are also made in New Zealand.
The key wine regions in New Zealand include Auckland, Canterbury, Central Otago, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough and Nelson.
Hawkes Bay
New Zealand’s second largest wine region (behind Marlborough), Hawkes Bay is on the east coast of the north island, to the south of Gisborne, and is New Zealand’s leading wine and food tourism destination. Many of the finest wines come out of the Hawkes Bay wine region.
A temperate climate with lots of sun is suited to superb Chardonnays in the whites and also later ripening red varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc (Bordeaux varietals) and Syrah.
A very special sub region in the Hawkes Bay region is the Gimblett Gravels. This sub region was thought to be not even good enough to graze sheep on, but in 1981 was planted under vine and now represents some of the world’s finest full bodied red wines. The unique terroir of the Gimblett Gravels comes from the old Ngaruroro River which until flowed through what is now known as the Gimblett Gravels, dumping gravel and heavy sands. The earthquake of 1931 changed the course of the river, leaving bare 800 hectares of prime new world terroir. Being 15km inland it doesn’t get the cooling sea breezes, so the region can get much hotter than the rest of Hawkes Bay.
Gimblett Gravels
Gimblett Gravels is one of the only wine-growing zones in the New World defined solely by soil type. This was made possible when the Ngaruroro River changed its course in 1867 as a result of a major flood. Where the river previously flowed through the Omahu channel, vines are now planted in low-fertility stony/gravelly soils (with various pockets of sandstone, silt and clay) that benefit from extremely good drainage.
The region combines the French concept of terroir with modern day thinking to define, protect and market wine. In what is believed to be a first for winegrowers in the New World - wine growing countries outside Europe - Gimblett Gravels is basing the ultimate designation of their district according to a tightly specified soil type.
About the brand Craggy Range
A desire to build a beautiful legacy for his family is what drove businessman’s Terry Peabody’s pursuit of winemaking excellence, resulting in New Zealand’s stunning Craggy Range. A global search that commenced in 1996 saw the family scout for vineyards in the world’s greatest regions but it was a chance meeting with noted Kiwi viticulturist Steve Smith that steered fate and saw the Peabody family lay down their winemaking roots in New Zealand’s burgeoning Gimblett Gravels.
Enlisting the help of Steve Smith and a superior winemaking and viticulture team, Craggy Range has gone on to produce some of the world’s best Syrah, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a legacy that is set to live on for many more years to come. “This business is a legacy for the family still to come. We have ambitions to grow it further as every business has to grow to be successful. However, the mandate for the future will always continue to focus on producing quality wines,” says Terry Peabody.
You May Also Like
Customer Reviews
Write Your Own Review