Craggy Range x Life Flight Golf Day 2024

Welcome

In 2024 Craggy Range will reach its 25th Vintage. With regard to vineyards, this milestone in many parts of the world would sound like a blink of an eye in terms of history. Our humble winery in New Zealand has asserted itself on the world stage quicker than any of our family could have anticipated.

When Terry and Mary Peabody first conceived the idea of Craggy Range, they wanted to create an estate that could sit alongside the world’s great vineyards. Understanding this goal may take multiple generations to see it through to fruition. They certainly did not believe Craggy Range would come close to the recognition it has today in their lifetime.

We have been blessed with many accolades. From many years of featuring in the World’s Most Admired Brands, World’s Best Vineyards and being named the top winery in New Zealand for 2023 to an incredible run of scores over the past decade, Terry and Mary may be closer to seeing their ultimate goal attained in their lifetime. While four generations of our family are now walking the vineyards, there is still more work to do.

It is up to us to be caretakers of our land and stewards of what is in our bottles.

- David T. Peabody

Craggy Range

Established in 1998, Craggy Range is a family-owned winery situated in the shadow of the spectacular Te Mata Peak in the premium wine-growing area of Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. With an unrelenting focus on quality, Craggy Range produces a collection of iconic wines from their exceptional estates in Hawke’s Bay, Martinborough, and Marlborough.

When Craggy Range owners Terry and Mary Peabody first set out to start a winery with world class aspirations, their search quickly brought them to New Zealand. Looking down from Te Mata Peak onto the land where Craggy Range now stands, they were clear that they wanted to create a winery and an experience which truly evoked the unique landscapes and heritage of the region.

GIMBLETT GRAVELS, HAWKE’S BAY

TE MUNA ROAD, MARTINBOROUGH

Taking an innovative position of pursuing a multiregional approach to wine growing meant we didn’t have to compromise. After discovering the promise of New Zealand, the Peabody family focused on the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing district in Hawke’s Bay and Te Muna Road in Martinborough to produce a collection of wines that speak very much of their place.

We have an ambition to sit comfortably alongside the great wineries of the world. This ambition is underpinned by a focus on quality, evolution and custodianship, specifically around community and the environment. In 2020 we embarked on an ambitious biodiversity project which will see us plant more than 100ha of native trees within our Martinborough vineyards, improving the biodiversity and eventually the quality of our land.

To ensure a firm commitment, Terry Peabody honoured the original promise of leaving a legacy for the family still to come and established a 1000 year trust, meaning the winery can never be sold. What has followed in the last 20 or so years has been the development of an iconic New Zealand winery which has never lost sight of its sense of place, or its family ties.

Gimblett Gravels

HAWKE’S BAY’S GIMBLETT GRAVELS WINEGROWING DISTRICT LIES ON THE ANCIENT BED OF THE NGARURORO RIVER, WHICH CHANGED COURSE IN 1867 TO EXPOSE ITS SOILS FOR POSSIBLE VITICULTURE.

The soils are composed of small to mediumsized greywacke stones, interspersed with layers of silt and sand down to a depth of at least 40 metres. The stones on the surface absorb sunlight and heat during the day and then radiate heat at night, enhancing the vine’s ripening capacity. The stony soil structure allows for very rapid drainage after rainfall events; the low water-holding ability enables us to control vine growth.

Finally, with the low soil content in the profile, there is naturally low fertility which aids in keeping the vigour of the vine low to moderate. These are soils requiring precise preparation and management. When done well, they offer great potential in this locality to produce rich, ripe, yet elegantly structured red wines with a distinctive mineral, hot

stone and fine dusty character, which we affectionately call ‘Gimblett Dust’.

While the Gimblett Gravels is warm for New Zealand standards, it is still not hot in a world wine context. The combination of relatively low altitude and proximity to the sea, yet sheltered from the direct effect of the sea breeze, creates what we describe as a temperate maritime climate. This location, altitude, and the stony soil’s warming influence creates the warmest site in Hawke’s Bay.

The lack of excessive heat in the Gimblett Gravels is also a critical factor as it means the aromatic characters in the fruit, which contribute to the floral notes, are retained.

LATITUDE: 39.6

SEASONAL RAINFALL: 448mm average

AVERAGE VINE AGE: 16-18 years

DEGREE DAYS: 1503. This compares to 1580 in Napa City, 1450 in Bordeaux and 1346 in Marlborough

SOIL TYPES: Omahu Stony Gravels Class 1

TOTAL PLANTED LAND AREA: 85ha

(approx 15% of the total Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District)

La Place de Bordeaux

IN 2022 CRAGGY RANGE BECAME THE FIRST NEW ZEALAND WINERY TO BE DISTRIBUTED BY THE FAMED BORDEAUX NEGOCIANT NETWORK, LA PLACE DE BORDEAUX

The complex distribution network comprising La Place has brought Bordeaux’s most famous wines to the world since the 17th century. The historic group first opened its doors to the wines of the New World with Almaviva in 1996 and Opus One in 2004, both wines being in partnership with Chateau Mouton de Rothschild. Since then, La Place has begun to offer the world’s most prestigious wines from Italy, the USA, South America, and other renowned regions within France.

The 2020 vintage of Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah and Craggy Range Aroha Pinot Noir joined the ranks of some of the world’s most celebrated wines. This fulfilled a dream of Craggy Range’s founders, the Peabody family, to have their wines sit alongside the great estates of the world.

According to Master of Wine Andrew Caillard MW, “La Place provides access to the world’s greatest wine, Chateau Lafite to Le Pin, Cheval Blanc to Ornellaia, Super Tuscans to the renowned wines of the Napa Valley. And now, Craggy Range. This is a great opportunity for New Zealand to start building its presence in the Fine wine world.”

Tom Portet and Emma Thienpont of International First Growth, who introduced Craggy Range into the network, commented, “We approached Craggy Range due to the quality of their wines and their international relevance. Very few brands from the New World have the presence in major markets that Craggy does. The growth in demand for international wines has been extraordinary, so the time is right to bring NZ into the mix.”

Sophia

GIMBLETT GRAVELS, HAWKE’S BAY

Sophia, the height of elegance and longevity, predominantly showcases Merlot, complemented by Cabernet Sauvignon and increasingly significant Cabernet Franc. Crafted at our Giants winery, Sophia embodies opulence and ripe flavours with a tannin structure supporting extensive aging. With vines now over 25 years old, our distinct Merlot blocks contribute aromatic elegance and plush power. Evolving winemaking techniques yield depth and balance with silk-laden tannins accentuated by elevated perfume.

MATTHEW JUKES

“This is a glorious Merlot-driven wine and one of my favourites in the entire Southern Hemisphere. In 2021, it managed to pack beautifully teasing spice and earth notes into the sleek red-fruit-drenched chassis, and the Cabernet Franc portion ensures a rhapsodic perfume. Craggy has long made a success of the Merlot variety where so many others across the planet fail, and I don’t doubt that this vintage is one of the very finest they have produced.”

HUON HOOKE

“Very deep, bright red-purple colour and a concentrated aroma of classic cabernet blackberry/blackcurrant, superbly intense and vibrant. The palate shows great flavour and concentration as well as lovely texture. Amazing power and persistence allied with refinement. Velvet tannins. The oak component is nigh invisible. A wonderful red wine of outstanding potential.”

2013

VARIETY

62% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc

BRIX 24.3 average

PRODUCTION LEVEL 48 hl/ha average

HAND HARVESTED 100%

WHOLE BUNCH 0%

FERMENTATION VESSEL French oak cuves

FERMENTATION Inoculated

BARREL TYPE French oak barriques

NEW BARREL % 42%

MATURATION 19 months

FINING No

FILTRATION Yes

BOTTLED February 2015

ALCOHOL 13.8

PH 3.61

ACIDITY 5.9 g/l

2014

VARIETY

61% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc

BRIX 24 average

PRODUCTION LEVEL 48 hl/ha average

HAND HARVESTED 100%

WHOLE BUNCH 0%

FERMENTATION VESSEL French oak cuves

FERMENTATION Inoculated

BARREL TYPE French oak barriques

NEW BARREL

MATURATION

FINING Yes

months

FILTRATION Yes

BOTTLED February 2016

ALCOHOL

PH 3.68

ACIDITY 5.7 g/l

2015

VARIETY 73% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc

BRIX 23.9 average

PRODUCTION LEVEL 41 hl/ha average

HAND HARVESTED 100%

WHOLE BUNCH 0%

FERMENTATION VESSEL French oak cuves

FERMENTATION Inoculated

BARREL TYPE French oak barriques

NEW BARREL %

MATURATION

FINING Yes

months

FILTRATION Yes

BOTTLED February 2017

ALCOHOL 14

PH 3.69

ACIDITY 5.7 g/l

TASTING NOTE:

Dark garnet colour. Beautifully lifted and complex aromas of spiced red fruits, crushed autumn leaves and sandalwood. Classically composed on the palate with fruit richness given length by balanced acidity and fine dusty tannins. Finishes elegant, dry and long.

TASTING NOTE:

Darkest red. Brooding aromatically with blackcurrant, blackberry, dried red rose and cedar notes emerging. The wine exerts elegance across the palate with a pure red /black fruit core drawn long by layers of fine grained tannins.

TASTING NOTE:

Deep darkest red. Complex aromatic profile with notes of ripe plum, cassis, dried rose and spice from the finest French Oak. The wine exhibits a wonderful depth of dark red fruits whilst maintaining an enticing level of freshness across the palate. Layered, youthful and persistent, this is a classically composed wine.

2020

2019 2021

VARIETY 60% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon

BRIX 24.1 average

PRODUCTION LEVEL 42 hl/ha average

HAND HARVESTED 100%

WHOLE BUNCH 0%

FERMENTATION VESSEL French oak cuves

FERMENTATION Inoculated & Wild

BARREL TYPE French oak barriques

NEW BARREL % 40%

MATURATION 18 months

FINING Yes

FILTRATION Yes - Coarse

BOTTLED December 2020

ALCOHOL 13.5

PH 3.62

ACIDITY 5.8 g/l

TASTING NOTE:

Deep dark red. The perfume is intoxicating with ripe blueberry overlaying cinnamon, brioche and a hint of leafy varietal lingering in the background. The palate sits upright and all-encompassing. Tannins are long and silky, flavour concentrated and ripe, the finish endless – the hallmarks of a great Sophia.

VARIETY

65% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon

BRIX 24 average

PRODUCTION LEVEL 48 hl/ha average

HAND HARVESTED 100%

WHOLE BUNCH 0%

FERMENTATION VESSEL French oak cuves

FERMENTATION Inoculated

BARREL TYPE French oak barriques

NEW BARREL % 36%

MATURATION 18 months

FINING Yes

FILTRATION Yes - Coarse

BOTTLED December 2021

ALCOHOL 14.0

PH 3.62

ACIDITY 6.0 g/l

TASTING NOTE:

Deep, garnet red. Blackcurrant, Doris plum and the complexity of butter sautéed chanterelle mushrooms round out an exceptionally lifted palate defined by the sheer concentration of ripe fruit flavours. Sweet plum, redcurrant and blackberry are interwoven with cinnamon and mocha notes. The tannins offer a savoury counterpoint to the sweetness of fruit and the traditional hallmark of being powder-fine in texture.

VARIETY 77% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc,

BRIX 24.2 average

PRODUCTION LEVEL 35 hl/ha average

HAND HARVESTED 100%

WHOLE BUNCH 0%

FERMENTATION VESSEL French oak cuves

FERMENTATION Inoculated

BARREL TYPE French oak barriques

NEW BARREL % 33%

MATURATION 17 months

FINING Yes

FILTRATION Yes - Coarse

BOTTLED November 2022

ALCOHOL 14.0

PH 3.65

ACIDITY 5.6 g/l

TASTING NOTE:

Deep, garnet red. The 2021 Sophia has an openness rarely seen in this wine owing to a perfect summer of heat and dry days. Subtle notes of wild thyme and sage seamlessly blend with plum, fruit cake and brioche. The mid-palate suppleness and sweetness are already so enticing and sure to appeal to loyal followers of this wine. A delicious release.