2023 Craggy Range Te Muna Road Pinot Noir, Martinborough

From the stony soils of windswept Martinborough, this is a potpourri dish of black cherry, blueberry, cedar, sage, dried florals and other heady spices. It's silky with a light, crunchy modern appeal that belies its quiet complexity. The seamless, fine chalky tannins give this enough structure for a wintery meal and also for several years of cellaring.

93 points Christina Pickard for Wine Enthusiast

The 2023 Te Muna Road Vineyard Pinot Noir is powerful but framed within an ethereal structure of ductile tannin. The fruit is eminently red, and the wine feels elegantly integrated at all levels. It's a lovely expression of Martinborough, and it manages restraint and measure at every opportunity. The acidity is fine and saline, the balance is there and the oak merely supports. There is a savory herbal nuance through the finish, but it all works. Recommended. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

93 points Erin Larkin robertparker.com

Craggy Range has become one of New Zealand's most respected wine estates since Terry and Mary Peabody founded the winery in 1998. Their vision was simple but ambitious: identify the country's finest vineyard sites and create wines capable of standing alongside the world's best. The Te Muna Road vineyard in Martinborough has proven to be one of those exceptional sites, producing Pinot Noir of remarkable perfume, structure and longevity. Under the guidance of Chief Winemaker Ben Tombs, the estate continues to refine a style that captures both the elegance and power of this distinctive region.

Located on a series of ancient river terraces, Te Muna Road is defined by free draining gravels and a cool, windy climate that naturally limits yields and promotes slow, even ripening. Martinborough's significant day to night temperature swings help preserve freshness and aromatic detail, creating Pinot Noir with purity, energy and a strong sense of place. The 2023 vintage delivered beautifully balanced fruit, allowing the vineyard's character to shine.

Brilliant ruby red in colour, the bouquet opens with aromas of dark cherry, wild strawberry and raspberry, layered with rose petal, dried herbs and subtle spice. As the wine evolves in the glass, notes of forest floor, clove and fine oak emerge. The palate is silky yet structured, offering vibrant red and black berry fruits supported by savoury complexity and finely woven tannins. Bright acidity provides tension and freshness, while the finish is long, fragrant and beautifully detailed, lingering with spice, floral notes and earthy nuance.

A superb match for duck breast with cherry sauce, grilled salmon, mushroom and truffle risotto, roast pork with fennel or a lentil and roasted beetroot tart. Drinking beautifully now, it will continue to evolve over the next eight to ten years, developing additional savoury complexity while retaining its vibrant fruit core.