Craggy Range - Aroha (Martinborough) - Wairarapa 2023
Craggy Range, established in 1998, is a family-owned winery located in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand, near Te Mata Peak. Founded by Terry and Mary Peabody, the winery was created with a vision of producing world-class wines that reflect the region’s unique landscapes. Focusing on the Gimblett Gravels in Hawke's Bay and Te Muna Road in Martinborough, Craggy Range has built a reputation for crafting iconic wines deeply connected to their terroir.
Te Muna Road, Martinborought
The Martinborought district was originally selected for its unique combination of soils and climate. Martinborought has two significant climatic influences: the wind and the warmth. Two distinct terraces make up the vineyard, one comprising alvi-fulvic soils that are more than 20,000 years old and at higher altitudes. This produces exceptional Pinot Noir, which stylistically shows incredible complexity, a reserved intellectual feel, and great length.
Discover Te Muna Road: https://youtu.be/4HxWIWlO_hU
The 2023 vintage
The vintage of 2023 was the second in consecutive years heavily influenced by the La Nina climatic weather event. This manifested in strong north westerlies bringing rain events from the Pacific. In isolation, this presented the challenges of a wetter-than-average growing season; however, when we consider the favourable yields and temperatures, we are more optimistic about what wines are born from this year’s harvest. For Martinborough, the season began warm and early, leading to a favourable flowering period. One early, substantial frost event kept the lower elevation Pinot blocks to more limited yield potential, but we saw ideal fruit set for the remainder of the vineyards. Post-Christmas, rainfall was above average and required diligent canopy management. The season cooled to match the long-term norm, and harvest dates mirrored our historical set.
Tasting notes:
Bright burgundy in colour, with a soft crimson hue. The perfume is lifted and pure—a cool-season bouquet of dried cherry, lavender and hints of wild thyme. The palate shows a fine-boned structure, with red fruits taking a more restrained and precise form. It is a poised and elegant Aroha release, showing subtle depth and graceful approachability in its youth.