2009 Craggy Range Syrah Gimblett Gravels Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (14) Avg Score: 88.9 points

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  10/17/2022 - graemeg wrote:

  {screwcap, 13.5} Generic, aging red. Softening red berries, gentle oak, moderate structure. There's really nothing wrong with this; it's a perfectly pleasant, aging red wine, which sings pretty nicely with food. It wasn't that expensive on release, nothing is overdone, nothing is out of balance. And although fading now, I think, there's nothing faulty about it. It's just honestly reflecting the quality of its constituent grapes, which I suspect were good, honest, syrah, but not spectacular. Knowing CR a little, I'm juggling some disappointment against the knowledge that I'm probably judging it against an unrealistically high standard. So, nice wine, terrific for the price, nowhere left to go, not worth seeking out any longer. Overall, nice work, chaps.

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  6/19/2022 - graemeg wrote:

  I broached a second bottle, with I assume the same provenance, with fairly identical results to my May experience. Hooray for the screwcap. My previous note was pretty harsh; this is nice enough, just not really good.

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  5/14/2022 - graemeg wrote:

  {screwcap, 13.5%} Slightly murky deep red/black colour. developing nose, fairly restrained, of mulberry and leather, with ripe red fruit underneath. Mildly oaked only. Palate has a caramel touch, clearly aging as the fruit presence is fading without really developing any sort of complexity. Medium weight, still with medium powdery tannins, not entirely natural somehow, and lowish acidity which is letting the wine sag a little. The best grapes go into Le Sol, so in a sense this is a second wine; I suspect it was at peak before its first decade. Finishes on the short side. Pleasant, not great though, nor likely to become so.

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  3/21/2020 - rmarkey Likes this wine: 95 Points

  excellent and has years to go. Very cool climate. 16 months in French oak. 13.5% alc.
  Colour: jet black berries
  Bouquet: dark fruits - black berries, black plums, black currants, black olives, with black olives
  Palate: as bouquet, dense black fruits, spice, big soft tannins, really fresh fruit still, good acid, long clean finish
  March 2020

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  11/10/2019 - Keith Cooper Likes this wine: 89 Points

  Opened and decanted 1 hour. Appearing very youthful at 10 years since the vintage. Dark maroon colour, no signs of ageing. Blsckcurrants, apples, spice, leather on the nose. Palate is savoury, fresh, dark berry fruits, sloes. There's a slight bitterness on the finish which, for me, stops me scoring this in the 90s. Good now. I suggest drinking any remaining bottles.

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