Craggy Range, Hawkes Bay, Kidnappers Vineyard, Chardonnay

A fresh, clean and focussed Chardonnay with vibrant aromas of lime zest, white florals, and oyster shell. On the palate, citrus fruits are layered with complex savoury nuances through to a long finish.

Producer Note

Established in 1998, Craggy Range is a family-owned winery situated in the shadows of the spectacular Te Mata Peak in Hawke’s Bay. With an unrelenting focus on quality, Craggy Range produces a collection of iconic wines from their estate vineyards in Hawke’s Bay, Martinborough, and Marlborough. When owners Terry and Mary Peabody first set out to start a winery, they looked down from Te Mata Peak onto the land where Craggy Range now stands, and they were clear that they wanted to create wines which truly evoked the unique landscapes and heritage of the region. Since then, Craggy Range has developed into an iconic New Zealand winery which has never lost sight of its sense of place, or its family ties. Heavily invested in social and environmental sustainability, they are certified by SWNZ and have created initiatives such as the Children’s Christmas Foundation.

Vineyard

The Chardonnay grapes come from the Kidnappers Vineyard, located on the Hawke’s Bay coastline at Te Awanga. The spring and autumns are warm and sunny, while the summer temperatures are tempered by the cooling sea breezes, creating the ideal conditions for the development of intense flavours, lifted aromatics and refreshing natural acidity. Pruning techniques are being evolved to improve sap flow and reduce trunk disease. Working towards a more organic approach, herbicides are being minimised, cover crops are being introduced, and they are moving towards a more organic-based spray programme in the vineyard. The grapes are hand-harvested.

Winemaking

The grapes for this wine were 100% whole-bunch pressed and fermented with selected yeasts in a combination of French and Austrian puncheons, foudres, and stainless-steel tanks. The wine underwent partial malolactic conversion, before being aged in oak barriques for 16 months, 18% of which were new.

Tasting Note

A fresh, clean and focussed Chardonnay with vibrant aromas of lime zest, white florals, and oyster shell. On the palate, citrus fruits are layered with complex savoury nuances through to a long finish.

Grape

Chardonnay 100%