Craggy Range Te Muna Road Sauvignon Blanc 2024

This is Ben Tombs first vintage as chief winemaker, here he states his mark, not as hen honcho but as a guide for the site. The ancient alluvial soils give this wine its distinct silty finesse. White melons, pineapple core, apple leaf and nettle. Its acidity is bracing but gives way freely to the core of lemon juice and subtle tropical notes, leaving you awakened and energised. The 2025 vintage will also be out now, but this is your nod to giving the Te Muna wines time, this has hit its straps with silk thread of phenolics, creamy texture and yet that vibrant fresh fruit line we can expect from Martinborough. Drink on release, with a couple of years, then 5 or so. Stunning. Try it with sand whiting, just seared in a pan and lemon wedges. Points: 95/100

Wine Pilot ∙ 25th Dec 2025

This is Ben Tombs first vintage as chief winemaker, here he states his mark, not as hen honcho but as a guide for the site. The ancient alluvial soils give this wine its distinct silty finesse. White melons, pineapple core, apple leaf and nettle. Its acidity is bracing but gives way freely to the core of lemon juice and subtle tropical notes, leaving you awakened and energised. The 2025 vintage will also be out now, but this is your nod to giving the Te Muna wines time, this has hit its straps with silk thread of phenolics, creamy texture and yet that vibrant fresh fruit line we can expect from Martinborough. Drink on release, with a couple of years, then 5 or so. Stunning. Try it with sand whiting, just seared in a pan and lemon wedges. Points: 95/100

Wine Pilot ∙ 25th Dec 2025

Pale straw in the glass with aromas of peach, citrus fruits, gooseberry and green apple. Hints of crushed stone, some distant nettle, crushed herbs, white flowers and ginger and lemongrass tea. Much the same on the palate, which shows a nice swell of fruit framed by tight acidity and a crisp, lip-smacking finish. Points: 92/100

Halliday Wine Companion ∙ 20th Dec 2025

Pale straw in the glass with aromas of peach, citrus fruits, gooseberry and green apple. Hints of crushed stone, some distant nettle, crushed herbs, white flowers and ginger and lemongrass tea. Much the same on the palate, which shows a nice swell of fruit framed by tight acidity and a crisp, lip-smacking finish. Points: 92/100

Halliday Wine Companion ∙ 20th Dec 2025

So, in the quest for a comparison, I’ve pulled out something from across the ditch in the Craggy Range Te Muna Sauvignon Blanc 2024, which is notably not from Marlborough (it’s Martinborough Sauv) and that translates into a wine with less of the lifted tropical thiols and more grassy nettle and ried herbs. It’s fresh, a little lean and linear, and quite long, offering up an interesting Kiwi analogue to the Shaw & Smith, with similar pricing and quality. Points: 91/100

Australian Wine Review ∙ 25th Nov 2025

Lemongrass and gooseberry lead, joined by blackcurrant bud, passionfruit, and tonic water. With air, wet stone minerality. Clean and bright, varietal grassiness kept in check. The palate bursts with flavour – blackcurrant bud, passionfruit, lemon rind, lemongrass, and pear. A pillowy texture cushions the fruit before citrus-drenched acidity drives freshness to good length. A classy, varietally true example, balancing expressiveness with restraint. Points: 93/100

Wine Pilot ∙ 11th Oct 2025

A Savvy from the Martinborough region in New Zealand, rather than the more familiar Marlborough, yet it still offers the classic Kiwi flavours. The slightly cooler climate gives the wine some welcome drive. There are 10% whole bunches used, with fermentation in stainless steel, French oak barriques and French oak puncheons, 2% new. The colour is a shimmering pale lemon, while the nose exhibits powerful aromatics, with passionfruit, guava, citrus, nettles and a hint of lantana, but it is the tropical characters which are to the fore. There is bright, slightly crunchy acidity and impressive length. An obvious Savvy style, which fans will love. Enjoy over the next four years. Points: 92/100

Wine Pilot ∙ 11th Oct 2025

Intensity of flavour here is right up there. Steel, passionfruit, lemongrass and a gentle infusion of woodsmoke. There’s a pippy aspect to this, as a positive. There’s texture but it’s not too glossy; it feels refined. Everything is in alignment here. This is good. Points: 93/100

The Wine Front ∙ 23rd Jul 2025

Offers a stunning, intense and energetic mix of ripe peach, Meyer lemon, Key lime and fresh Honeycrisp apple notes, with accents of litsea oil, toasted green tea and Himalayan sea salt on the finish. A touch of lemon balm lingers. Drink now. Points: 93/100

Wine Spectator ∙ 13th Mar 2025