Deep ruby color. Rich floral aromas of lavender and jasmine, with a hint of sweet spice. A very elegant and calm vintage, typical of Te Muna style. The taste is very delicate with a hint of sweetness, and the silky tannins are well-integrated into the wine, making it very elegant. It was a mild spring with average temperatures, and the grapes ripened at the usual speed, but there were several heavy rains. Therefore, grape picking and selection were important this year. About Te Muna Road Vineyard (Martinborough)
In this vineyard, where Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are grown, "wind" and "warm temperatures" are the main keywords in winemaking. Although it is often compared to Marlborough, which has a vast area and abundant sunshine, Martinborough is a small area sandwiched between mountains such as Lamtaka Hill in the west and hills in the east, and has a cool maritime climate. From flowering to fruiting, strong cool sea breezes blow from the southwest, passing through the mountains on the east and west, suppressing the vigor of the trees and reducing the yield. On the other hand, because it is surrounded by mountains, it gets hot during the day in summer, but the temperature drops in the mornings and evenings due to the influence of the sea breeze, and the temperature difference throughout the day is large. As a result, the sugar content and aroma of the grapes gradually increase, making it possible to harvest later, and making a more concentrated wine. The vineyard has two fields with different altitudes. The upper part is grown on 20,000-year-old alvi-fulvic soil containing complex minerals such as sedimentary rocks and volcanic ash, where Pinot Noir is grown, and the lower part is grown on limestone soil mixed with pebbles, which is ideal for Sauvignon Blanc. Founded in 1998, Craggy Range is a family-owned winery located in the foothills of Te Mata Peak, a premium wine producing area in Hawke's Bay on the North Island of New Zealand. When Terry and Mary Peabody decided to start a winery with the aim of making world-class wines, they immediately visited New Zealand. The Peabody Family, who saw the future of New Zealand, focused on Gimlet Gravels in Hawke's Bay and Te Muna Road in Martinborough, and began winemaking with two aims: to produce a wine collection that represents this area and to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's great wineries, and to leave a legacy for the family to continue in the future and to make it a winery that will last for 1000 years. These two areas have different soil types. Gimlet Gravels in Hawke's Bay has layers of Greywackestone, sand, and silt that are unique to this area, and the heat absorbed during the day keeps the fields warm at night, so this area is located in Hawke's Bay, which has a cool marine climate close to the sea, but the temperature is 2-3 degrees Celsius higher than other areas. Te Muna Road in Martinborough has 20,000-year-old alvi-fulvicsoil and pebbly limestone soils that contain complex minerals such as sedimentary rocks and volcanic ash, and these excellent vineyards produce wines with amazing aromas, purity and complexity. Craggy Range thus has unique terroir fields. They produce a variety of wine varieties, but they boast world-class quality, such as being in the Top 50 for five consecutive years from 2020 to 2024 in The World's Most Admired Wine Brands, and LeSol always receiving 95-97 points in Wine Advocate. It is also known for being the wedding venue for former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in January 2024, and the beautiful winery with its award-winning restaurant is attracting attention as one of New Zealand's leading destinations. For this wedding, Sauvignon Brante Muna Martinborough and Te Kahu Gimlet Gravels Vineyard Hawke's Bay were served. In recent years, the winery has been focusing on sustainability, and has welcomed a new organic cultivation specialist as its vineyard manager. The cultivation and winemaking teams work together to study the microorganisms that live in the fields and winery to elucidate the ecosystem, and research is being conducted to improve pruning techniques to improve the flow of sap in the wine trees and suppress disease. We are always thinking about how we can pass on the fields to the next generation in the best possible condition.
In 2020, they embarked on a project to increase biodiversity by replanting over 100 hectares of Martinborough vineyards with native vines, ultimately aiming to improve the quality of their land.