Wine & Spirits - Winter 2017 - 96

TOP 100 WINERIES 2017

Craggy Range

DeMorgenzon

Craggy Range's Martinborough vineyard produced exceptional pinot noirs in
2014, landing the label its sixth Top 100 award.

DeMorgenzon's chenin blancs stand with the Loire's best for detail and
individuality.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Back in the early 1990s, Terry Peabody decided to leverage his business success into a wine venture.
American born, he founded Transpacific Industries, a waste management and transportation company based in Australia. He and
his wife, Mary, happened to cross paths with Steve Smith, who was
riding his own wave of success in 1996, having just become the first
viticulturist to earn an MW. Smith had been involved in a seven-year
battle to prevent a concrete company from mining for gravel on the
last open parcel in the Gimblett Gravels district, and his side had just
won. When the 250-acre parcel went up for sale, Smith convinced the
Peabodys to buy it and, together, they became partners in a new venture, Craggy Range.

Garden Vineyard: In 2003, Wendy and Hylton Appelbaum purchased
land on the high slopes of Stellenbosch that was once part of the
Uitermyk, a South African farm dating to the 1600s. Vines have been
planted in this region since the early 1700s, just one of many thousands of plants that thrive here: The Appelbaum's estate neighbors
the Cape Floral Kingdom, a UNESCO Heritage Site for the richness
and diversity of its plants. The Appelbaums work with the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative to protect the land and have turned over a portion of their land to the native fynbos and renosterveld, and encourage wildflowers and other plants to grow between their vine rows.

A Wide Net: They planted merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah on
the vast gravel wash of Gimblett Gravels, and then began searching
out land to plant pinot noir and chardonnay. In 1998, they added 350
acres to their portfolio with purchases in Martinborough at Te Muna
Road and the Kidnapper's Vineyard near their home base in Hawke's
Bay. They also purchased land in Marlborough and developed contracts with vineyards in Central Otago. Their wines now represent
some of the most important terroirs in New Zealand and consistently
present them at their best.
Abel's Pinot: Smith trained Matt Stafford, who
joined the winemaking team in 2006 and
became chief winemaker in 2012. Together,
they grew some cool, fragrant pinot noir on
the upper terrace of Te Muna Road in 2014.
Several blocks at the site are planted to the
Abel clone, named for a customs officer
who confiscated the cuttings that a grower
was smuggling into New Zealand from what
was purported to be a top vineyard in BurMatt Stafford
gundy. Abel happened to be a winemaker and
managed to have the cuttings quarantined.
The vines tend to be slower to ripen, presenting the meaty side of pinot while holding onto the
rose perfume and buzzing energy. Smith transitioned
out of his management role in 2015, but remains an
advisor and member of the board of directors at Craggy
Range, leaving the team with one of the great estates of
New Zealand. -D.G.

South African Sauvignon: Sauvignon blanc also excels on the Cape,
especially when grown in cooler spots, like the Stellenbosch Kloof,
a ravine of ancient decomposed granite less than ten miles off False
Bay. In 2015, winemaker Carl van der Merwe picked the sauvignon
for the DMZ bottling riper than usual, as acids were high, blending
the Kloof fruit with berries from Durbanville, Elgin and Faure. The
wine is full bodied, with a floral intensity to its citrusy flavors, yet mouthwatering in its sharp acidity and savory
grape-skin tannins-a sauvignon built for the dinner
table, especially if seafood is on the menu. -D.G.

DETAILS & TOP WINES

Founded: 1997 * Winemaker: Matt Stafford
Viticulturist: Daniel Watson * Owner: The Peabody family
Acres owned: 400 * Annual production: 80,000 cases
Estate grown: 100% * Importer: Kobrand, Purchase, NY
Website: craggyrange.com

Founded: 2003 * Winemaker: Carl van der Merwe
Viticulturist: Danie de Waal * Owners: Wendy & Hylton
Appelbaum * Acres owned: 224 (135 planted) * Annual
production: N/A * Estate grown: 100% * Importer:
Cape Classics, NY * Website: demorgenzon.com

93 2014 Martinborough Te Muna Road Vineyard
Pinot Noir $45 (2/17)
92 2014 Martinborough Aroha Te Muna $105 (2/17)
91 2014 Hawke's Bay Kidnappers Vineyard
Chardonnay $22 (2/17)

93 2013 Stellenbosch The Divas Chenin Blanc $105
92 2015 Stellenbosch Reserve Chenin Blanc $35
90 2015 Western Cape DMZ Sauvignon Blanc $18
(all from 6/17)

N EW Z EALAND
96

New-World Fruit, Old-World Style: The Appelbaums replanted much of
the vineyards, but left a patch of bush-vine chenin blanc planted in
1972. Those vines, now converted to trellises to better catch the cooling breezes off of False Bay, gave an exceptional wine in 2015: The
Reserve, fermented without added yeasts in French oak barrels (25
percent new), and left on the lees for nearly a year, is creamy and
fresh, with scents of
jasmine, chamomile
and ginger. This year
also saw the release of
the 2013 The Divas, a
selection of two barrels of the Reserve
Chenin. With a bit of
botrytis intensifying
the wine's richness,
it's as heady and com- Wendy Applebaum & Carl van der Merwe
plex in scent as the
renosterveld itself,
with a clarity and
energy that makes the wine particularly compelling.

WINE & SPIRITS

BUYING GUIDE 2018

S OUTH A FRICA

http://www.craggyrange.com http://www.demorgenzon.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - Winter 2017