Matured in 47% new French oak for 19 months, the 2008 Le Sol has a dense blackberry, black olive and blueberry nose with good definition and purity. The palate has good weight, plush but firm tannins with notes of blackberry, blueberry, tar and a dash of black pepper, leading to a grippy, tannic, soy-tinged finish. This will need 5-6 years bottle age but this Le Sol is showing more edginess than in previous vintages, which serves to enhance the intrigue. Drink 2013-2025. The wines from Craggy Range were tasted both in Hawkes Bay in January 2010 and then in London six months later. Steve Smith, Rod Easthope and the team continue to furnish consumers with a wide portfolio of terroir-based wines that satisfy both the value and prestige end of the market. Having tasted many of their wines, there is no doubt that they have ‘toned down’ their style, the initial releases being rather hubristic and a tad top-heavy with oak. This sense of refinement has lent the wines greater poise and breeding. Their reds are still their strongest suit, in particular their flagship labels such as ‘Le Sol’ and ‘Sophia’, but do not overlook their Chardonnays that exude great purity and Burgundian poise. Meanwhile their ‘Wild Rock’ entry-level range, which is treated as a completely separate entity to Craggy Range, contains some delightful varietals that form a neat introduction to the delights of Hawkes Bay’s wines. Importer: Kobrand Corp., New York, NY; tel. (212) 490-9300.