2006 Craggy Range 'Te Muna Road' Pinot Noir another outstanding effort

Tasting Notes

2/29/08
Last years version of this wine was the highest scoring wine ever for New Zealand in the Wine Spectator. But the folks at Craggy Range, although impressed with the wine’s success and overall quality, actually wanted to produce a different style than what had gotten the big score. They wanted more finesse and not as powerfully front loaded with fruit working more nuance and restraint into the equation. Those who were taken back by the last vintage, which was quite impressive for its scale and flavor intensity, will notice the difference but the quality hasn’t slipped a notch at all for the 2006. It’s just a bit more polished and not as exuberant and concentrated and as full on with big mouth filling fruit. Here in the 2006 you get a sleeker, silkier mouth feel and more earth tones, but with a core of beautiful fruit, not as dark, yet with excellent intensity and a lovely inner mouth feel that is quite engaging, finishing long and fine. It’s hard to say whether this will get the score of the previous vintage but if you love exceptionally well made Pinot Noir that plays more towards finesse than power, without sacrificing any fruit intensity and flavor, this could actually be the better if not the equal.

Food Accompaniments

Duck, dark Turkey meat, vension, game, mushroom dishes

Awards, Reviews and other Notes

91 pts Wine Spectator 4/30/08
Refined, with excellent intensity to spice, berry, black cherry and rose petal accents. Fresh herb undertones, mineral and nicely integrated oak underscore the intense finish. Drink now through 2011.

6 Bottle price

Price

SKU

Varietal

$44.09

$48.99

7382

Pinot Noir