Description

Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc

The Winemaker

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

Sustainability

At Craggy Range, our commitment to organic farming is two-fold: preserving our land and resources for generations to come and enhancing vineyard ecology by eliminating unnatural inputs, ensuring the purest expression of terroir.As part of our organic program, we already employ multi-function equipment for under vine cultivation and weeding, replacing the need for herbicide sprays, and have initiated the return of grape marc back into the vineyard to nourish our vines. We are transitioning to fully organic farming through a carefully planned, staged approach, ensuring the successful implementation of sustainable practices across every block of our 335 hectares of estate-grown vineyards. We aim to balance the drive to farm organically with a desire to execute the transition flawlessly, ensuring we maintain the wine quality for which we are globally recognized.

Over the past two years, we have partnered with Toitu Envirocare to embark on our journey toward carbon and environmental certification. By identifying key areas for improvement, we have committed to a significant reduction in our company’s overall carbon emissions. This journey is well underway, with substantial investments in new, fuel-efficient equipment and machinery capable of performing multiple functions in a single pass through the vines, thereby minimising carbon usage. In the Spring of 2024, we will start trialing our aerial drone spraying program to reduce the use of diesel-fuelled machinery in the vineyard. In our winery, we have an electric boiler as opposed to the more standard diesel model and starting with the 2023 vintage; all our wines will be packaged in lighter-weight glass bottles. This change will reduce the average bottle weight across our entire range by 22%.

Viticulture

Precision viticulture helps us uncover and harness the nuances of our terroir, allowing us to fine-tune our viticultural techniques to bring out the best in each and every vine. Using new and emerging technology, we gain detailed data and insights into vine health, water stress and soil composition. This enables us to precisely tailor our farming practices row-by-row and vine-by-vine. It also informs our picking decisions by accurately identifying grape ripeness and flavour profiles. Having the ability to monitor the water needs of each individual block has the added benefit of reducing our water consumption as we can accurately target our irrigation usage. Some of the cutting-edge technologies we use day-to-day in our vineyards include:

• Athena probes- Accurately measures water stress at the vine level, allowing us to implement targeted irrigation to enhance wine quality and conserve water.
• Multi spectral drone imaging- Measures the vigor variability across a block so we can tailor our management to optimize vine health and quality.
• VPA Self steering tractor- Performs multiple tasks in a single pass, such as trimming, spraying and weed control.

Tasting

Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc features a pale, straw yellow color with a green hue. An intense nose, a kaleidoscope of gooseberry, mandarin pith, and passionfruit. The palate has a zesty and vibrant energy, with notes of citrus and guava with subtle saline undertones.

NAMED NO. 11 in the WINE SPECTATOR’S TOP 100 WINES of 2024 (94 Points)

“Fresh and precise, with lime, mango and passion fruit notes that are accented by crunchy sea salt, linseed oil, dried chamomile and fresh lemon zest on a mouthwatering, fleshy frame” – MaryAnn Worobiec JULY 2024

Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Notes To Your Senses

• APPEARANCE: Pale straw yellow with a green hue
• AROMA: Intense notes kaleidoscope of gooseberry, mandarin pith, and passionfruit
• TASTE: Zesty and vibrant energy, with notes of citrus and guava with subtle saline undertones
• FINISH: Fresh, precise and mouthwatering
• ABV: 12.5%