95 Points
93 Points
19 Points

Craggy Range Sophia 2011

SKU: CRSO201110 UCAU

$104.99

Unit price: per

The Gimblett Gravels Vineyard is widely regarded as New Zealand's best terroir for Bordeaux blend

95pts, Bob Campbell!

Sourced from a premium private cellar

Critic Scores

95 // Bob Campbell MW

"Bright, zesty berry and spice flavours with a subtle herb influence. Mouth-watering red in a slightly more restrained style than the 2010 reflecting, perhaps, a moderately challenging vintage. One of the best blended Hawke’s Bay reds I’ve tasted from this vintage. Finely textured and with a lengthy finish. It should cellar well"

93 // Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

"A blended of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2011 Sophia is medium to deep garnet-purple color and presents a nose of warm cassis, preserved plums and blackberry compote with hints of pencil shavings, cinnamon toast, plus a touch of Mediterranean herbs. Medium-bodied and tightly knit in the mouth, it has a medium to firm level of chewy tannins and balanced acid framing the conservative fruit cone through a finish with good persistence."

19 // Raymond Chan Wine Reviews

"Very dark, deep, black-hued purple red. This has a full and powerfully expressed bouquet with black and blue berry fruits along with subtly complex spice, dark red floral and savoury secondary fruit and earthy layers. Medium-full bodied, sweetly rich and lush dark red berry and black plum fruit flavours form a concentrated, but elegantly proportioned core. The tannins are very fine-grained, and show some softening for accessibility. The mouthfeel is poised between sweetness, acid freshness and tannin extract refinement. Nuances of spices, florals and earth unfold, and the palate carries the fruit and detail smoothly to a velvety, lingering finish. This is a very fine-grained and concentrated Merlot-blend beginning to show some elegance and accessibility. It has a decade-plus of development ahead. A blend of 60% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, fermented to 13.3% alc., the wine aged 19 months in 37% new French oak barriques"

Product Details

Red

2011

Merlot Blend

Craggy Range

Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

15 Plus Years

Cork

13.0%

750ml (Bottle)

In Stock

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Description

A refined and elegant hand-crafted Merlot dominant blend that represents both the vigneron’s art and an inherent understanding of the land, ensuring ‘Sophia’ is the finest expression of the terroir and the people. ‘Sophia’, meaning ‘wisdom’ in Greek mythology, pays tribute to the goddess of knowledge and experience, information and understanding - a philosophy adopted by our winemakers and viticulturists when crafting this wine.
Tasting Profile

Light

Full

Low Tannin

Tannic

Sweet

Dry

Low Acidity

High Acidity

Food Pairings:

Pork

Poultry

Red Meat

Tasting Notes

Description

A refined and elegant hand-crafted Merlot dominant blend that represents both the vigneron’s art and an inherent understanding of the land, ensuring ‘Sophia’ is the finest expression of the terroir and the people. ‘Sophia’, meaning ‘wisdom’ in Greek mythology, pays tribute to the goddess of knowledge and experience, information and understanding - a philosophy adopted by our winemakers and viticulturists when crafting this wine.

Tasting Profile

Light
Full

Low Tannin
Tannic

Sweet
Dry

Low Acidity
High Acidity

Food Pairings:

Pork

Poultry

Red Meat

Craggy Range

A desire to build a beautiful legacy for his family is what drove businessman’s Terry Peabody’s pursuit of winemaking excellence, resulting in New Zealand’s stunning Craggy Range. A global search that commenced in 1996 saw the family scout for vineyards in the world’s greatest regions but it was a chance meeting with noted Kiwi viticulturist Steve Smith that steered fate and saw the Peabody family lay down their winemaking roots in New Zealand’s burgeoning Gimblett Gravels.

Enlisting the help of Steve Smith and a superior winemaking and viticulture team, Craggy Range has gone on to produce some of the world’s best Syrah, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a legacy that is set to live on for many more years to come. “This business is a legacy for the family still to come. We have ambitions to grow it further as every business has to grow to be successful. However, the mandate for the future will always continue to focus on producing quality wines,” says Terry Peabody.

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