Wine Reviews
This Hawke’s Bay Syrah is as mouthfilling and winter warming as the deep crimson color and luscious blackberry, ground pepper and chocolaty oak aromas suggest. But the acidity and fine tannin structure are there, too, suggesting that this polished, harmonious bottle will last the ages. It’s still quite primary now, so hold a few more years if possible.
Aromatic and elegant, offering fine, silky tannins and complex aromas that range from blueberry preserves and fresh black cherry to bittersweet chocolate, with notes of Earl Grey tea, perfumed fresh violets and white pepper, plus lingering hints of sarsaparilla and wintergreen.
The 2021 Le Sol is spicy and detailed. Where the 2020 is open-weave and attractive, the 2021 is tighter, more focused and less “available” for obsessive unpicking (as I am wont to do for you, here). There’s raw cocoa, blueberry, finely ground black pepper, orange peel, musk stick, layers of blackberry, mulberry, blood, ferrous notes and a hint of pencil shaving. This is a tightly coiled wine, one that has much unfurling to do, both in the cellar over time and in the glass today. Kaleidoscopic, savory and complex, this is another exciting wine from Craggy Range across the superstar 2020 and 2021 vintages. The exciting thing about the Le Sol is that there is SO MUCH flavor, without weight or density. It is pure concentration, but it leaves an impression of levity and litheness.
The 2020 Le Sol is open and attractive on the nose, with layers of blackberry, raspberry, hints of licorice and clove, a whiff of orange peel, black tea and pencil shavings. In the mouth, the wine is silky and full; it expands without being heavy. The flavors cascade and tumble over each other as they reach for the long and elongated finish. It’s an incredibly classy, structural, detailed wine of poise and presence. Blackberry and blueberry are distinctly etched into the aftertaste. We know these wines age with grace and eloquence, but it is also wonderful on release. It is worth waiting for, if you are of the patient persuasion. If not, go forth; you won’t be disappointed. It fermented with 60% whole bunch and spent 30 to 40 days on the skins (depending on the fermenting vat). This assists with texture. Overextraction is not a problem given the low alcohols. It matured in French puncheons and larger format
It gives up notes of black raspberries, black cherries, and cracked black pepper with hints of garrigue, violets, and coffee beans with a waft of tar. The medium-bodied palate is bright, refreshing, and elegantly styled, with bags of spicy red and black fruits, finishing long and peppery.
