Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah 2020

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Craggy Range
Le Sol Syrah 2020

Vintage : 2020
Country : New Zealand
Region : Hawkes Bay
Subregion
Type : Red
Style Rich and Spicy
Format : 75cl
Alcohol : 14,1°
Grappes : 100% Syrah

Le Sol translated from French means “the soil”, appropriate when one considers the significant impact the stony soils of the Gimblett Gravels Vineyard have on this wine called "Le Sol".

Experts		Score	Vintage
BC	Bob Campbell MW	98	2016
WE	Wine Enthusiast	95	2016
JS	James Suckling	95	2016
RP	Robert Parker	94	2016
DCT	Decanter	93	2016
WS	Wine Spectator	93	2015

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From the same producer

They keep the growth and crop of these old clone Syrah vines in check and provide warmth in the autumn, all critical factors in developing the enormous character and presence this wine has.

Traditionally made, heady aromas, luscious yet classical texture. "Le Sol" is all at once luscious, elegant and exuberant – and in a very short time it has shown the breeding of Syrah in the Gimblett Gravels.

Tasting note: deep and dark with purple hues. Aromas of sweet blackberries are complemented by subtle hints of bark, cocoa and freshly cracked black pepper.

On the palate an elegant core of black fruits is layered with dusty, dry tannin and refreshing acidity.

Craggy Range was founded in 1997 when Terry Peabody and Steve Smith MW set about seeking out and buying the best vineyard sites in New Zealand. They planted them with vines best suited to each terroir with the ambition to produce single vineyard wines that would compete with the best in the world. It is this simple philosophy that drives the entire system of farming and winemaking at Craggy Range. The wine team is headed by Steve Smith MW in his role as Director of Wine and Viticulture. Matt… Read more

Bob Campbell MW (BC) : 98 Points (2016)

Le Sol, one of the country's most respected syrah labels, cracked through the NZD $100 barrier with the 2013 vintage and has continued to adjust the price in a northerly direction. This is the first vintage that a small amount (20% ) of whole bunches has been used in the fermentation. Nicely perfumed and typically dense, rich syrah with a lovely texture and firm, rounded tannins. Powerful yet elegant wine with plum, berry and mixed spice flavours together with an interesting savoury edge. (7/2018)

Wine Enthusiast (WE) : 95 Points (2016)

If one can get past the heavy bottle in the age of climate change, this is a stellar vintage of Craggy's Range's premium Hawkes Bay Syrah. It's got a nose you could dive into and swim around in the freshly squeezed blackberry and currant fruit, cracked pepper, cocoa nibs, graphite and warm stone mineral notes. There's plenty of oak here, too, but it should integrate nicely into the wine with time. In the mouth, the fruit continues on a juicy journey, gripped by powerful, fine tannins and interlaced with oodles of dried herbs and spices. This should cellar beautifully. Drink now with decanter and protein at hand until 2040. (11/2020)

James Suckling (JS) : 95 Points (2016)

Enticing ripe blackberries and plums are framed in subtle, sweet baking-spice complexity and dusted in fine, white-pepper notes. The palate has suave, smooth and concentrated dark berries, presented in a very neatly articulated array of ripe, regal tannins. Great depth and resolve. Pure syrah. (9/2018)

Robert Parker (RP) : 94 Points (2016)

The 2016 Le Sol is perhaps the most confident, self-assured expression of Syrah to yet emerge from this benchmark producer. I say that because it no longer relies on weight, power and extraction for its impressiveness, but rather on its wonderful fragrance and elegance. Perfumed notes of violets and cracked pepper lead the way, backed by anise and black cherries. It's medium to full-bodied, with a rich, velvety mouthfeel and tremendous length, echoing with hints of clove, cinnamon and sassafras.

Decanter (DCT) : 93 Points (2016)

Wine Spectator (WS) : 93 Points (2015)

This red has plenty of power, opening up fragrant and effusive, with white pepper, sage and toasted cumin accents to a core of rich, velvety and concentrated blackberry and blueberry notes. Lovely spice flavors and aromas linger on the long, expressive finish. Syrah. Drink now through 2029. 900 cases made. (MW, Web Only-2018)