Lest we forget that Hawkes Bay (and, more specifically, the Gimblett Gravels) is just about Syrah, here’s a serious Bordeaux blend from Craggy Range.
Craggy Range ‘The Quarry’ 2008 Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
14% alcohol. A high-end blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Sophisticated stuff: sweet cherry, plum and blackberry fruit nose with some spicy, subtly gravelly savoury notes. Very fine. The palate shows good concentration of plum and blackberry fruit with nice density. It’s structured and savoury with an attractive spiciness. A wine that’s no blockbuster, but it is showing potential for development – it’s the sort of wine that puts on weight with time in bottle, and this needs five or ten years to begin to show its best. 93/100 (potentially more, with time)
Find this wine with wine-searcher.com
3 Comments on Serious NZ Bordeaux blend from Hawkes Bay: The Quarry
Farr Vinters are knocking this out at £30/bottle and picking up on your Bordeaux blend suggestion, how do you think that this wine compares to what is available at this price from Bordeaux, Jamie?
Martin, I’ve had the Quarry just twice before. You can see from the notes that I really rated it highly:
Craggy Range ‘The Quarry’ 2006 Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay
This can’t be made every vintage. It’s mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot and Malbec, and this was still in barrel when I tasted it. It has a wonderfully dark, intense brooding nose of blackcurrant, chocolate and spice. It’s ripe but fresh with some minerality. The palate is dense, intense and ripe with fantastic spiciness and concentration. The oak melds well with the fruit. Thrilling. 95–96/100 (Nov 2007)
Craggy Range ‘The Quarry’ 2001 Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay
Intense, dark, spicy and earthy with lovely complexity. The palate is spicy, rich and earthy with remarkable density and power. Firm tannins and real potential here for future development. Concentrated, long, thrilling. 95/100 (May 2007)
So I’d say this would be much more impressive than most £30 Bordeaux, although it is not a direct equivalent, of course. This is where my money would go.
That’s good enough for me, Jamie – many thanks!