Martinborough Archives - Iconica https://iconica.wine/region/martinborough/ Appreciating Fine Wine Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:47:04 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://i0.wp.com/iconica.wine/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/cropped-Iconica-Flavicon.webp?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Martinborough Archives - Iconica https://iconica.wine/region/martinborough/ 32 32 254871815 Craggy Range Martinborough Pinot Noir 2021 https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-martinborough-pinot-noir-2021/ https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-martinborough-pinot-noir-2021/#respond Tue, 29 Oct 2024 12:27:23 +0000 https://iconica.wine/?post_type=product&p=4111 94 points | Wine Enthusiast

"You can tell a Pinot-loving Aussie (winemaker Julian Grounds) made this (Craggy Range Martinborough Pinot Noir 2021). The focus is firmly on the succulent fruit and is it hard to resist. Plump juicy black cherry, blueberry and blackberry fruit come rushing out of the glass, followed by florals, spice and mushroom. The palate is round and silky, with oodles of fruit and a gentle line of supportive and softly spicy tannins. It's balanced and crowd-pleasing but also capable of aging—and becoming more savory and complex—until 2033 or so."

 

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Tasting Note

Straight away the bright cherry with purple hue leaps from the glass of the Craggy Range Martinborough Pinot Noir 2021. Scents of wild strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, soft savoury spice and white truffle notes are all in abundance on the nose. The palate has so much excitement with acidity so remarkably fresh yet not overwhelming and doesn’t detract from the silky soft tannins and velvety mouthfeel. Beautifully varietal. A surprising wine with a very long road ahead, if you can wait. If not, have it with your duck…

Region

The Pinot Noir fruit comes from the Wairarapa subregion of Martinborough, in the southeastern corner of the North Island. The soils contains layers of ancient weathered volcanic ash, which has reacted with the rocks and hastened their decomposition to a point where they can be easily broken. This soil produces exceptional Pinot Noir, which stylistically shows incredible complexity, a reserved intellectual feel, and great length. The vines are VSP trained to allow appropriate airflow and capture sunlight. Following the practises used by viticulturist François Dal, pruning techniques are being evolved to improve sap flow and reduce trunk disease. Working towards a more organic approach, herbicides are being minimised, cover crops are being introduced, and the vineyard team is moving towards a more organic-based spray programme. The grapes are hand-harvested.

This fruit was carefully sorted before being 100% destemmed. Fermentation took place with selected and indigenous yeasts in open-topped stainless-steel tanks and French oak vats. The wine was aged in French oak barriques for eight months, 21% of which were new.

For more information about Craggy Range wines click here or visit their website here.

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]]> https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-martinborough-pinot-noir-2021/feed/ 0 4111 Craggy Range Martinborough Pinot Noir 2019 https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-martinborough-pinot-noir-2019/ https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-martinborough-pinot-noir-2019/#respond Tue, 29 Oct 2024 11:14:45 +0000 https://iconica.wine/?post_type=product&p=4106 93 points | Wine Enthusiast

"This was Aussie winemaker and Pinot-expert Julian Grounds's first year as Craggy's winemaker. The change of hands shows in all the best ways. This is both elegant and sturdy, with lightness to the black cherry, blueberry and strawberry fruit, and depth in the form of earthy spice, violets, crushed stone and slightly charred meaty nuance. In the mouth, fruit feels ripe and fleshy, ensconced in succulent tannins with a wonderfully long, supple “peacock's tail” finish, as Grounds call it. Drink now–2028." Christina Pickard

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Tasting Notes

The Craggy Range Martinborough Pinot Noir 2019 is a firm and distinctive wine. With a muscular tannic backbone that adds some appealing tension to the dark spiced plum and tobacco notes. An edge of acidity keeps the flavours energetic and lively.

Craggy Range Martinborough Pinot Noir is a quintessentially elegant New Zealand wine that encapsulates the distinctive characteristics of the Martinborough region. With a lush, deep ruby color, this Pinot Noir offers a captivating aroma of black cherry, plum, and hints of spice. On the palate, it reveals a beautiful balance of red berry flavors, supported by subtle oak undertones. The wine impresses with its delicate structure, displaying silky tannins and a lengthy, refined finish. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, Craggy Range Martinborough Pinot Noir showcases the unique terroir of its origin, resulting in a wine that is both enchanting and expressive.

Region

The Pinot Noir fruit comes from the Wairarapa subregion of Martinborough, in the southeastern corner of the North Island. The soils contains layers of ancient weathered volcanic ash, which has reacted with the rocks and hastened their decomposition to a point where they can be easily broken. This soil produces exceptional Pinot Noir, which stylistically shows incredible complexity, a reserved intellectual feel, and great length. The vines are VSP trained to allow appropriate airflow and capture sunlight. Following the practises used by viticulturist François Dal, pruning techniques are being evolved to improve sap flow and reduce trunk disease. Working towards a more organic approach, herbicides are being minimised, cover crops are being introduced, and the vineyard team is moving towards a more organic-based spray programme. The grapes are hand-harvested.

This fruit was carefully sorted before being 100% destemmed. Fermentation took place with selected and indigenous yeasts in open-topped stainless-steel tanks and French oak vats. The wine was aged in French oak barriques for eight months, 21% of which were new.

 

For more information about Craggy Range wines click here or visit their website here.

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]]> https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-martinborough-pinot-noir-2019/feed/ 0 4106 Craggy Range Aroha Pinot Noir 2019 https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-aroha-pinot-noir-2019/ https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-aroha-pinot-noir-2019/#respond Tue, 29 Oct 2024 08:35:39 +0000 https://iconica.wine/?post_type=product&p=4051 93 points | Tom Cannavan

Craggy Range Aroha Pinot Noir 2019 "From Craggy Range's Martinborough vineyard on Te Muna Road, this Craggy Range Aroha Pinot Noir 2019 is fermented with ambient yeasts and spends 11 months in French oak. It has a medium-deep garnet colour with light on the rim, and really quite a sumptuous red-fruited nose, where vanilla, spices and florals, a little rosemary and sandalwood, melt into raspberry and darker plum. In the mouth the tannins are very fine, very sandy, but have real grip, and there is real concentration of fruit packed into a framework that is currently allowing only glimpses of sweet cherry, briar and exotic spice. Good acidity too, in a wine that is confident, serious and structured and should cellar well for 10 years."

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Tasting Note

The Craggy Range Aroha Pinot Noir 2019 is a pale Burgundy with a purple hue. An elevated menagerie of flavours. Black truffle, fresh-picked blueberries, brioche, chanterelle mushroom, lavender and dried goji berries. The palate is the epitome of a peacock feather; the flavour starting modest but fanning out to a length rarely seen in this variety. The tannins are satin and the level of concentration is deftly hidden but a pure acid line. Majestic.

Background

Aroha, a romantic word in Te Reo Maori meaning “love,” reflects its namesake with passion and craftsmanship. Handcrafted from select parcels of Pinot Noir grown on the upper terrace of Te Muna Road Vineyard in Martinborough, Aroha captures a unique character. Here, the pedigree of specific blocks, identified by a narrow band of clay over stone, proves essential to the wine’s quality. At over 20 years old, these blocks embody a balance that blends power with beauty.

In crafting Aroha, the focus centers on tannin quality, aiming for a velvet-like texture that provides unmistakable length. To achieve this, we use gentler extraction in the winery and extended time in barrel, continuously refining our methods. This wine reflects a global style of Pinot Noir, striving to reach the upper echelons of this revered variety.

In the Vineyard

Cool and damp spring followed by a warm and dry summer/autumn. Fantastic!

In the Cellar
  • Whole Bunch- 63%
  • Destemmed – 37%
  • Fermentation Vessel – Combination of open-top stainless steel tanks and French oak cuves
  • Fermentation – Indigenous
Food Match

Seared duck breast, satueed mushroom risotto

For more information about Craggy Range wines click here or visit their website here.

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]]> https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-aroha-pinot-noir-2019/feed/ 0 4051 Craggy Range Aroha Pinot Noir 2023 https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-aroha-pinot-noir-2023/ https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-aroha-pinot-noir-2023/#respond Tue, 29 Oct 2024 08:27:54 +0000 https://iconica.wine/?post_type=product&p=4045 96 points | Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux (2022 Vintage)
"Fragrant and finessed, with bay leaf, cranberry, crushed raspberries, tobacco and waves of soft incense and gunsmoke. Gathers in strength over the palate, and the tannic arcitecture will clearly sustain ageing but it's finely spun enough to go young if you prefer. Gorgeous vineyard in Martinborough, natural yeast fermentation, unfined with light filtration. 35% new oak for ageing, barely perceptible even now, save for a remembrance of sweet charred cherry on the finish. Director David T Peabody, chief winemaker Julian Grounds. Drinking window - 2024-2040" (tasted Sept 2024)
94 points | Wine Enthusiast (2021 Vintage)
 "Enticing aromas of cherry and blueberry liqueur are laced with mocha, cedar and subtle floral and herb aromas. Though the wine is still quite primary and plush, there's excellent acidity and fine-boned tannins that suggest that, while a lovely tipple now, it should evolve quite beautifully until around 2031."

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Tasting Notes

In the glass, the Craggy Range Aroha Pinot Noir is 100% Pinot Noir – a bright burgundy with a light crimson hue. Ample perfume. A complex bouquet of glazed cherries, lavender and thyme. A fine-boned structure, red fruit dominated and was very focused and pretty. It’s an elegant Aroha release showing great approachability already.

Background

Aroha, a romantic word in Te Reo Maori meaning “love,” reflects its namesake with passion and craftsmanship. Handcrafted from select parcels of Pinot Noir grown on the upper terrace of Te Muna Road Vineyard in Martinborough, Aroha captures a unique character. Here, the pedigree of specific blocks, identified by a narrow band of clay over stone, proves essential to the wine’s quality. At over 20 years old, these blocks embody a balance that blends power with beauty.

In crafting Aroha, the focus centers on tannin quality, aiming for a velvet-like texture that provides unmistakable length. To achieve this, we use gentler extraction in the winery and extended time in barrel, continuously refining our methods. This wine reflects a global style of Pinot Noir, striving to reach the upper echelons of this revered variety.

In the Vineyard

La Nina influenced. Began warm and early with only one substantial frost. Above average rainfall post-Christmas, the season cooled to match the long-term norm.

For more information about Craggy Range wines click here or visit their website here.

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]]> https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-aroha-pinot-noir-2023/feed/ 0 4045 Craggy Range Te Muna Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019 https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-te-muna-vineyard-pinot-noir-2019/ https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-te-muna-vineyard-pinot-noir-2019/#respond Tue, 29 Oct 2024 08:18:35 +0000 https://iconica.wine/?post_type=product&p=4035 95 points | Wine Enthusiast

Craggy Range Te Muna Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019 "This is not a timid wine. It's rich and round, wearing its brambly, medicinal, earthy, spicy and floral colors loud and proud. The silky mouthfeel is tugged into place by sappy tannins. There's intensity, balance and structure, and a real sense of place. Drink now–2029." — Christina Pickard

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Tasting Note

Craggy Range Te Muna Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019 has a bright cherry with purple hue. Leaps from the glass. Wild strawberry, blueberry, and white truffle notes are all in abundance. The palate has so much excitement and vibrancy yet an undeniable depth of flavour. Red fruits and savoury notes are all present here. The acidity is fresh, yet doesn’t detract from the silky mouthfeel – still a long road ahead for this wine.

In the Vineyard

Cool and damp spring followed by warm and dry summer & autumn.

Handpicked from the higher terrace of the vineyard and fermented with indigenous yeast producing a wine with a silky layered texture providing interest and complexity.

Food Match

Craggy Range Te Muna Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019 matches beautifully with pan-seared and roasted duck leg, fresh pasta, and sauteed mushroom risotto

 

For more information about Craggy Range wines click here or visit their website here.

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]]> https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-te-muna-vineyard-pinot-noir-2019/feed/ 0 4035 Craggy Range Te Muna Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-te-muna-vineyard-pinot-noir-2021/ https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-te-muna-vineyard-pinot-noir-2021/#respond Mon, 28 Oct 2024 14:43:06 +0000 https://iconica.wine/?post_type=product&p=4021 92 points | Wine Enthusiast

Craggy Range Te Muna Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 "Luscious berry aromas take the lead on this concentrated Pinot from one of New Zealand's best-known red producers. The florals, vanilla and toasty spice notes are just whispers for the moment. The silky palate is rich and primary, with layers of flavor that are still tightly packed in. Drink now with a decanter at hand or hold for another few years." — Christina Pickard

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Tasting Notes

Craggy Range Te Muna Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 has a deep burgundy in colour with a crimson hue. A plethora of brambled fruits and porcini mushrooms lead the bouquet. With an exciting and vibrant palate, a red-fruited core wraps the velvet tannin with an undeniable depth of flavour—a long road ahead for this wine that will reward with age.

In the Vineyard

A cool damp spring resulted in low yields, followed by a warm summer that accelerated ripening conditions.

Handpicked from the higher terrace of the vineyard and fermented with indigenous yeast producing a wine with a silky layered texture providing interest and complexity.

Food Match

Serve Craggy Range Te Muna Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 with Spring lamb and garlic potatoes

For more information about Craggy Range wines click here or visit their website here.

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]]> https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-te-muna-vineyard-pinot-noir-2021/feed/ 0 4021 Craggy Range ‘Kidnappers Vineyard’ Chardonnay 2020 https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-kidnappers-vineyard-chardonnay-2020/ https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-kidnappers-vineyard-chardonnay-2020/#respond Mon, 28 Oct 2024 14:00:33 +0000 https://iconica.wine/?post_type=product&p=4004 90 points | Wine Enthusiast

"Craggy Range 'Kidnappers Vineyard' Chardonnay 2020 is a single-vineyard Chardonnay made in the traditional Chablis style. Lifted aromatics of honeysuckle, lemon zest and toasted almond. Finely structured on the palate with subtle fresh flavours of grapefruit, white peach, wet stone and a mouthwatering briny character on the finish."

91 points  | Wine Spectator

The Craggy Range 'Kidnappers Vineyard' Chardonnay 2020 is "Elegance in an oak frame." (Christina Pickard)

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Vintage

The 2020 vintage faced challenges with frost and hailstorms in spring. Conditions improved afterward, though temperatures remained cooler and significantly drier, nearing drought levels similar to 2013. The result was pristine fruit at harvest.

Winery

Chardonnay grapes come from Kidnappers Vineyard on the Hawke’s Bay coast at Te Awanga. Warm, sunny spring and autumn, combined with cooling summer sea breezes, create ideal conditions for intense flavors, bright aromatics, and refreshing acidity. Vineyard practices now focus on organic methods, reducing herbicides, using cover crops, and evolving pruning to improve sap flow and reduce trunk disease. The grapes are hand-harvested.

The whole-bunch pressed grapes fermented with selected yeasts in French and Austrian puncheons, foudres, and stainless steel. The wine underwent partial malolactic conversion, then aged for 16 months in oak barriques, 18% of which were new.

For more information about Craggy Range wines click here or visit their website here.

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]]> https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-kidnappers-vineyard-chardonnay-2020/feed/ 0 4004 Craggy Range ‘Kidnappers Vineyard’ Chardonnay 2023 https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-kidnappers-vineyard-chardonnay-2023/ https://iconica.wine/product/craggy-range-kidnappers-vineyard-chardonnay-2023/#respond Thu, 24 Oct 2024 13:52:46 +0000 https://iconica.wine/?post_type=product&p=3980 "One of the best vintages of this vineyard in recent memory." Craggy Range 'Kidnappers Vineyard' Chardonnay 2023 has "... great complexity with nashi pear, roasted almonds but undeniable citrus tones of lemon zest. The palate is as compelling as it is fresh."

93 points | Wine Folio (2022 vintage)

"Showing a light, crisp perfume, with a salinity that shows on the nose – oyster shell, green olive, lime, dried pineapple, white peach and lemon curd. Lightly oaked, with just a hint of almond and breadcrumbs adding warmth to the medium-bodied palate. Acidity is linear and threaded throughout, carrying the mouth-watering sensation into a chalky finish of some finesse."

drinksbiz Magazine, April/May 2024 (2022 Vintage)

"The evocatively named Kidnapper’s Chardonnay takes its name from Hawke’s Bay’s dramatic headland of Cape Kidnappers. It is made with grapes grown at Te Awanga, where the cool coastal breezes enhance Chardonnay’s acidity and fresh flavours, translating here to a medium-bodied, crisp style with ripe peach aromas and complex layered aromas of cedar and spice." (Joelle Thomson)

5 stars & 95 points | The Real Review (2021 Vintage)

"Delicious chardonnay with appealing purity and white peach, oyster shell, lemon curd and cashew nut flavours supported by ethereal acidity that gives the wine energy and a lingering finish. Vibrant, high-energy chardonnay." (August 2021 Bob Campbell MW)

94 points | WineAnorak.com (2022 Vintage)

"Located in Te Awanga near the coast. This is bright and energetic with pear and green apple, as well as some citrus pith notes. Nice dynamic range with lemony brightness, good acidity, but also some mid-palate richness showing a touch of peachy fruit. Rounded finish. Give this time." (August 2024 - Jamie Goode)

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Tasting Notes

The Craggy Range ‘Kidnappers Vineyard’ Chardonnay 2023 is a very pale straw with pronounced green hues. A mineral-infused nose characterised as chalk dust, flint, lemon and a hint of cream and almond. The palate has a racy presence with citrus fruits, chalky texture and balancing acidity. A long textural line through the palate allows this lithe Chardonnay to exhibit surprising length of flavour.

Vineyards

The Kidnappers Vineyard is strategically located right on the Hawkes Bay coastline at Te Awanga where the spring and autumns are warm and sunny and the summer is tempered by the cooling sea breeze. The shallow warm clay loam soils and careful selection of clones in this environment allows the development of very pure cool Chardonnay flavours in the grapes. The vineyard is using traditional winemaking techniques seen in the Chablis region of France.

For more information about Craggy Range wines click here or visit their website here.

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