Craggy Range Cabernet Franc Gimblett Gravels Vineyard

Craggy Range Back Vintage Tasting (Craggy Range) : Rich, peppery, dense

2013 vintage

Blackberries, raspberries, blackcurrant, slight pleasing jubiness. Roast beef. White pepper, spice. Quick glass while cooking BBQ. 90 or better.

2013 vintage

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2013 vintage

White pepper for sure! Plum

2013 vintage

Dark Burgundy colour. Dark purple paste sediment at end on decantering. Bouquet of black currants and violets. Medium bodied wine on dry side. Oak is subtle and the fruit (got some raspberry) integrates with soft and chewy tannins that linger with the berry fruit and some white pepper to finish. Drinking well now and held up nicely when finished bottle the next evening.

2013 vintage

Lovely, restrained style of Syrah but very enjoyable

2013 vintage

Plums, dark fruits. Med+ acidity. Slight note of herbs & pepper. Not too much oak. Something is missing to take it to next level. A bit boring.

2013 vintage

Not decanted. 17c. Colour.....alcohol legs, dark. Looks light to medium body. Nose....very little at all. Disappointing. Taste....redeemed! Wonderfully silken smooth, rich, off dry. Drinking well already at 5 years from vintage. Well structured with plenty of acid. Back label says wine will benefit from being kept for up to 7 years from vintage. It probably will. At the moment it’s drinking superbly, and although not fully mature it feels like it’s almost there. VFM? Something of a bargain.

2013 vintage

much better than the last one, wish I had left them longer.

2013 vintage

Very pleasant. Everything you want from an NZ syrah. Delicate. The watered down neighbour of Aussie shiraz. Though to be fair there's plenty of personality and a really great reverberstikg reonsnance on the finish ... tempted for 92.

2013 vintage

YES! This is what it's all about with New Zealand Syrah. Dazzling nose showing notes of Mediterranean herbs, black pepper, plum, blackberry and cedar. Strength is a highlight here, but the wine perfectly retains its elegance and shows no signs of burning out. Ready for the grill and some good memories.

2013 vintage

Spicy peppery nose with ripe raspberries and red plums. Earthy cocoa and stony mineral tones emerged after a while in the glass. Palate is rich and floral, pepper and leather. Very earthy. Forward and heavy mid-palate, still needs plenty of time for it open up. Finish is very closed even 3 hrs in the decanter but smooth. Retasted in Nov 2019, nose and palate had become more elegant now. The core spicy red and blue fruits are still there in …

2013 vintage

Whangarry Game of Rhones (My house) : Deep red, touch of purple, spice, dark fruit, bramble on the nose, nice array of flavours with boysenberry, plum, hint of liquorice and some interesting earthy, wild mushroom aspects. Finish flat and short, Enjoyable wine but nothing special, particularly given the vintage. Not sure it will show much more in the bottle

2013 vintage

Klare Aromen von dunklen Beeren, Mokka, Bitterschokolade, Granit und Pfeffer; am Gaumen mittlere Struktur, reichlich mittelkörniges Tannin, anfangs Schokolade und Frucht, dann Gewürznoten im guten Abgang; rund und lecker!

2013 vintage

Deep dark color. Expressive smell on the fruit and mineral. Taste of ripped berries fruits, followed by granit and finish on the white pepper and spices. Elegant old world Syrah, very close to a st Joseph. Medium body and very pleasant. Don't think the win will develop more with the years.

2013 vintage

Weekly tasting group RWP #248: New Zealand (@ RW) : The bouquet is locked but shows dark forest fruits. With some more air it becomes more expressive. On the palate a sweet start with ripe dark berries, firm acidity, some bitterness, slightly sticky, medium plus tannin. Overall a fairly compact wine. Young maturity now. Will drink nicely over the next 4+ years.

2013 vintage

Try a decant next time

2013 vintage

Started off very fruity on the nose with lots of raspberry and blackcurrant and medium length. Over the course of the evening (in the decanter) it noticeably changed to become less up front and developed more spice on the finish. A good wine but not overly exciting.

2013 vintage

Very good, pronounced pepper & spice knitted seamlessly with slight sweetness, minimal tannin. Don't know if cellaring further will benefit

2013 vintage

One of the best NZ syrah I tasted, at an interesting price. Plum, pepper, leather? I want more.

2013 vintage

Black pepper and black fruit nose. Blueberry and boysenberry flavors

2013 vintage

Just ok. Drinkable, but lacking flavor and character

2013 vintage

New Zealand London Annual Trade Tasting (Lindley Hall, Royal Horticultural Halls) : Very clear fruit, ripe red and black fruit, vanilla roundness, spicy notes, cherry, berry and currants. In the palate, the wine is rich, sweet, same fruits as in the nose, soft tannins, some spices, rich, balanced, very tasty with med finish. Outstanding quality, drink now

2013 vintage

deep garnet/purple, clear. from an exceptional vintage, very young. intense spices, violet perfume, underlying dark fruits flavours: plum, blackberry. surprisingly enjoyable, velvety tannins, some fresh acidity, balanced very well. good structure and concentration, medium finish. some appealing nose (oriental herbals, mint, violet and perfumes) lasting from beginning to the end, not appear in previous vintages I've tasted (2008, 2011), even not typical in Gimblett Gravels, but quite bright and beautiful, brings unique characters to this wine. Alc 13%, TA 6.0 …

2013 vintage

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Craggy Range Cabernet Franc Gimblett Gravels Vineyard

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