Extended tasting note
Craggy
Range Single Vineyard Syrah Block 14 2004 Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
This is a wine I’ve had a bit of experience with, and the reason
I’m drinking it tonight is because it’s a wine I like. So this is
not a neutral tasting note. It’s a bit of vinous cheerleading, if
you will.
Now I’m a big fan of Northern Rhône Syrah. Shiraz,
the name this wine goes by in the new world, also works for me, but
perhaps less often. In too-warm climates, Syrah loses a bit of the
freshness, meatiness and pepperiness that I admire in this grape
variety. The fact that a new world wine is labelled Syrah rather than
Shiraz suggests to me that the winemaker realizes there is a bit of a
stylistic division, and so I’m much more inclined to try the wine,
given my stylistic bias.
I first came across Craggy Range’s Syrah at a tasting
with Steve Smith MW, the dude behind Craggy’s remarkable wines
(described accurately by Jay McInerney as ‘a polar bear of a
man’), earlier this year. I then retasted the wine at a retailer
tasting (winedirect.co.uk), once more when I did some wine tasting
videos with this retailer, and then again when I visited Craggy in
November. Each time I have been really impressed.
So today, when I visited a branch of Waitrose (UK
supermarket), I decided to treat myself to a bottle. At £14.99 it
isn’t cheap, but for the quality, this is very good value. I think
it’s important to actually put your hand in your pocket and buy
wines on a regular basis if you want to be a critic that actually
understands how your readers feel about buying wine.
So, in this domestic setting, how does the wine stack
up? First, I must describe the context. I’ve been drinking the wine
for a couple of hours as I write. I’ve been eating a bit of
cave-aged Gruyere, too, which I know I shouldn’t, because red wine
and cheese aren’t supposed to be a good match. It’s now 11 pm, and
I’m feeling relaxed but a little tired. Still, I’m an evening sort
of person, and function well late at night, usually dipping off in
terms of concentration just after midnight, when I stop working.
But for me, work is like leisure. I enjoy it. I
wouldn’t want to work all the time, and I recognize that balance is
one of the keys to a healthy existence. I don’t really like a 9–5
routine, so I don’t have a problem with working late and then doing
other stuff when most people are working, if you see what I mean.
The Gimblett Gravels, where this wine comes from,
represent a special terroir within the Hawkes Bay wine region. They
are free draining, as you’d expect from gravel, and the vineyards
here are well set up to ripen red varieties that struggle to ripen
elsewhere in New Zealand. This Syrah comes from the gravels, and it is
a deep coloured wine. I should add that it is sealed with a cork –
fortunately, in this case, a good quality one that lacks taint.
The nose has a lovely aromatic quality. It has a
delicious peppery freshness, along with ripe, dark, slightly meaty
fruits. There’s a nice combination of fresher red fruits with
sweeter, richer black fruits, and I’m also getting a little of that
floral, violet character that’s often attributed to Syrah. The
palate shows great balance, with the fruit sweetness countered nicely
by good acidity, some grippy tannins and a nice spiciness. This is
definitely leaning more in the direction of the northern Rhône than
it is of the Barossa Valley, although there is some new world-style
sweet, pure fruit evident. It’s a tremendously enjoyable wine with
more than a hint of seriousness to it. Wines like this will certainly
make the world realize that there is much, much more to New Zealand
than just Sauvignon Blanc and aromatic whites. If I were to score
this, it would probably rate 92/100, although my scores shouldn’t be
seen as any more than a shorthand for how much I liked the wine on the
occasion when I tried it.
What about ageing? I think this wine will age, but I
reckon it’s pretty good now, and I don’t see what it would really
gain from further time. It has got something to lose, though – all
that vibrant, fresh fruit. For this reason I’d say drink it now, or
over the next two years.
Other
ETNs:
De
Bortoli Shiraz; Grünhaus;
Roc des Anges; Gaillard;
Veratina; Arturo;
Wynns; Drystone;
Foundry and Columella; Meruge;
Foillard Morgon; Clonakilla;
Latour 1934; Thevenet
Bongran
tasted
12/07
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