Craggy Range Vineyards, Gisborne & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
Museum stock just released ( very limited ) especially for Caro's. What a pleasure to get aged wine straight from Craggys cellars which means it is in mint condition. Massive, massive reviews means this is not to be missed. A beauty for Christmas. 94 Points (5 stars) from Bob Campbell who writes
“A blend of the very best merlot (92 per cent), cabernet franc (7 per cent) and cabernet sauvignon (1 per cent) grown in Craggy Range’s Gimblett Gravels vineyards. Big, dense red with strong dark berry, licorice, dried spice and classy oak flavours. Although the tannins are firm and the flavours to some extent impenetrable, the wine promises to reward anyone with sufficient willpower to keep it for up to a decade, possibly more.” Also 5 Stars Cuisine and 92/100 from Robert Parkers Wine Advocate. A one off not to be missed.
100 year old Grenache vines make up 85% of this wine with 15% being Cabernet which provides the structure to this wine. The wine is from the Tarragona region which is Northeastern Spain and almost desert like conditions at an altitude of 1200ft and will age at least 10 yrs. "Inky ruby. Attractively perfumed, complex bouquet of dark berries, smoked meat, incense and dried flowers. Deep in dark berry flavor, with smoky mineral and floral pastille qualities adding nuance. Firm tannins add grip to the long, sweet finish. Impressively complex already" 91/100 Tanzer
"The 2004 Muga Reserva Seleccion Especial is deep crimson-colored. Dense and packed, it offers up aromas of cedar, spice box, mineral, pencil lead, and assorted black fruits. It nicely conceals enough structure for 6-8 years of evolution. This lengthy effort should drink well through 2030."94/100 Parker
"Saturated ruby color. Oak-spiced raspberry and boysenberry aromas are complemented by smoky minerals, pipe tobacco and incense. Broad and fleshy in the mouth, displaying impressively concentrated red and dark berry liqueur flavors and a late note of candied licorice. A strong cherry-vanilla quality lingers on the long, sappy finish. Extremely impressive Rioja, deftly balancing energy and power" 93/100 Tanzer. Amazing and will age another 10-20 years!!!
This was a stand out wine in my tastings at Abadia Retuerta and indeed one of the most impressive wines we tried during our recent Spanish trip. This will be a gem in the cellar but is extremely accessible now. "The 2004 Cuvee Palomar consists of equal parts Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 18 months in new French oak. Ruby-red. Intensely floral nose offers expansive rose- and violet-accented cherry and red berry aromas along with slow-building oak spice and minerality. Tangy, focused and pure, showing impressively deep redcurrant and cherry flavors. Picks up a darker blackberry character on the finish, which is gently tannic and quite long. Doesn't want to let go" 91/100 Tanzer.
"The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is the first Brunello oenologist Hans Vinding-Diers made from start to finish at Argiano, and it represents a significant stylistic shift in direction. Among the changes Vinding-Diers instituted are lower temperatures in fermentation, which have given his wines gorgeous, detailed aromatics as well as notable textural elegance. The medium-bodied 2004 Brunello di Montalcino possesses perfumed layers of sweet ripe fruit that flow gracefully onto the palate, where sweet notes of tobacco, leather and spices come to life, adding further complexity. Finessed tannins round out this beautiful Brunello that is more about elegance rather than sheer power alone. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019" 93/100 Parker. "delivers raisins,blackberries and roses on the nose. Full bodied, with a soft and silky tannin structure and a long delicious finish.This is the best Brunello from here." 94/100 Wine Spectator
"The 2004 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo is an explosive wine endowed with a layered, sumptuous expression of sweet dark fruit. Menthol, licorice and floral overtones develop in the glass, adding further complexity. This stunningly beautiful wine offers tremendous persistence yet it will require patience as its structural components are formidable. I tasted the Vigna del Sorbo several times, including alongside Felsina’s Riserva Rancia, consulting oenologist Franco Bernabei’s other top-notch Riserva. Both wines were exceptional, but the Vigna del Sorbo showed a touch more freshness typical of wines from Panzano. Simply put, 2004 is a phenomenal vintage for this wine. Vigna del Sorbo is made from 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon which was grafted onto the rootstocks of the white varieties that were previously planted in the vineyard. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024." 95/100 Parker
"The estate’s 2004 Barolo Le Coste/Mosconi is a big, fat wine loaded with scorched earth, tar, smoke and dark fruit. Made in a powerful, brooding style, this expansive fruit-driven Barolo isn’t the last word on subtlety but it is awfully hard to resist. Parusso owns the vineyards in Le Coste and rents three parcels in Mosconi. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019. "92/100 Parker
"'One of the quality leaders in Rioja, Bodegas Fernando Remirez de Ganuza has produced superb wines in the more difficult 2003 vintage and the idyllic 2004 vintage. Both vintages are composed of 85% old-vine Tempranillo, 10% old-vine Graciano, 3% old-vine Garnacha, and 2% other. The wines are estate grown and bottled from 4 parcels with age ranging from 34 to 97 years. The wine is aged for 2 years in French and American oak prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The 2004 Remirez de Ganuza is dark ruby-colored with a splendidly expressive perfume of pain grille, crushed stone, scorched earth, and assorted black fruits. Youthful and tightly wound on the palate, the wine has all the components for potential greatness. Dense, lengthy, and complex, with 6-8 years of cellaring this wine will be smoking!" 96/100" R.Parker
"Inky violet. Smoky black raspberry, cassis and kirsch aromas exhibit remarkable power, with an exotic coconut quality adding complexity. Deep, sweet and velvety, offering remarkably deep, weighty dark fruit flavors and a sweet mocha character. Mouthfilling, densely packed and exotic, displaying an explosive array of mocha-accented berry liqueur flavors on the long, spicy finish. This is already a show-stopper" 94/100 Tanzer
"The estate’s classy, elegant 2004 Barolo Nei Cannubi is even more promising. It reveals a richly concentrated personality with the compelling perfumed inner sweetness that is the hallmark of this great vineyard. The wine offers terrific energy and structure, with gorgeous, silky tannins that round out the sweet, lingering finish. The Cannubi was still in oak when I tasted it in mid-November 2007. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2024. Consulting oenologist Beppe Caviola has been instrumental in ratcheting up the quality at this historic property. I can’t think of too many estates that have made such significant strides in just the last few years" 92-95/100 Parker. "Good deep red. Musky, carnal nose hints at excellent vinosity but is currently dominated by oak. Then huge, full and classic, with terrific concentration and a powerful underlying structure. At once sweet in its fruity character and classically dry. Best today on the minerally, floral, scented back end, where the tannins are ripe and smooth. This producer has been on a serious upward curve in recent years."92-95 Tanzer
