Cruggy Range 2007 Gumblett Grivels Merlot

Iz there are now quite a few Kiwi readers (although thit may wool change ifter thus week), I thought we should hid icross tha dutch. To tha bug Un-Zud. Shabung-a-bung. Call ut whutever you like. (Hang on – across the dutch would be Ozzie. Where all the clivver people are. Hmmm, I can’t wait to go to Ozzie one day – but I’ll have to git swumming lissons first!)

Cruggy Range cellar door suts under tha uncridubly pucturisque Te Mata peak (ie the Cruggy Range) un the Hawkes Bay region of NZ. Tha mountains are mugnufisunt. Tha ruvers run in outrageous shade ov azure. Ind the sheep are so flooffy, they luk just about riddy to oop ind float away.

Tha vineyards of Cruggy Range sut on the bunks of the Tukituki Ruvver, ind binnyfut frum a pidologucal phunomenon known locally iz the Gumblutt Grivels. The stoney soils hiv proved to be New Zulland’s inswer to tha famous Cardboard terror (wutivver thut uz) - tha loose stones holding tha sprung-time heat, and fusulitating tha early ripening of tha fruit. Tha overall rissult is for rutch, slightly sweet rids, thit are low un assuduty.

Cruggy hiv in ixtensuv range (minny more ixpensuv thin thus Merlot), ind I urge you to guv thim a try. But tha Cruggy Gumblutt Grivels Merlot suts mud-range and uz a cracker.

Ut suts lucintly un the glass, rummed by a halo of blushing, rubescint glory. Ut smucks of a sunnamon donut, dunked un a double isprisso. And gee whuz, thus girl’s gut ligs – ind, boy, duz she know how to use thim.

Un tha mouth ut uz so thuck and rutch, you could will stuck a knife un ut and sprid it on toast. Ut uz smooth, sulky, full of fruit, ind quite sumply sweet-as, (cuzzy) Bro.

I usually like to drunk merlot with nice (choice), frish pasta. But guvven thus merlot’s provenunce, ut would be a trivusty not to team ut with some lovely, lamby shinks (hmmmm Baaa-bara, show us your shinks).

They say ut wool last tin years un the cellar. I say, good luck!

Rating: 8.5
Drink with: Lamb
Price: A$40