Craggy Range

Terry and Mary Peabody began their search for the ideal winery location in 1993, travelling through France, the United States, and Australia before arriving in New Zealand. In 1997, Terry met viticulturalist Steve Smith MW, and together they identified the Gimblett Gravels in Hawke's Bay and the Te Muna Road area of Martinborough as exceptional terroirs for single-vineyard winemaking. Craggy Range was formally founded in 1998, with Smith serving as Managing Director for 16 years. Terry Peabody, originally from the East Coast of the United States and recognised as one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs, established a 1,000-year trust to ensure the estate can never be sold and will remain under family stewardship for generations.

• Located in the shadow of Te Mata Peak in Havelock North, Hawke's Bay, with a second major estate at Te Muna Road in Martinborough.
• Steve Smith MW, the first viticulturist in the world to earn a Master of Wine, co-founded the estate and shaped its single-vineyard identity.
• A 1,000-year family trust was established from the outset, making a sale of the winery legally impossible and cementing a multi-generational commitment to the land.

Craggy Range has accumulated an exceptional record of international recognition. It was named New World Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast in 2014 and has appeared in the World's Best Vineyards ranking every year from 2019 to 2024, reaching as high as No. 11 globally in 2021. In 2022, the winery achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first New Zealand producer to join La Place de Bordeaux, the prestigious négociant network through which the world's greatest estates release their wines. The Te Muna Sauvignon Blanc was named No. 11 in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2024, having scored 90 points or higher for ten consecutive vintages.

• 2014 Wine Enthusiast New World Winery of the Year; Drinks International World's Most Admired Wine Brands list from 2019 to 2024.
• First New Zealand winery to join La Place de Bordeaux in 2022, placing Sophia alongside the world's elite estates in international distribution.
• Named New Zealand Winery of the Year by The Real Review in 2023; Te Muna Sauvignon Blanc No. 11 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2024.

Craggy Range's core vineyards sit across two geologically distinct North Island regions. In Hawke's Bay, the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District is defined by shallow, free-draining alluvial gravels and a warm, sheltered microclimate that promotes slow, even ripening of Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. The coastal Kidnappers Vineyard, moderated by maritime breezes, provides a cooler site suited to Chardonnay. In Martinborough, the Te Muna Road Vineyard sits approximately seven kilometres east of the township and around 50 metres higher in elevation than other local vineyards, delaying harvest by up to ten days. Its upper terraces carry ancient, fine silty loess soils ideal for Pinot Noir, while the lower terraces feature younger, stony, free-draining alluvial soils that suit Sauvignon Blanc.

• Gimblett Gravels: raw river-stone alluvial soils retain heat and force vines to deep-root, producing structured, concentrated reds and whites.
• Kidnappers Vineyard: coastal site with clay soils and maritime influence, producing mineral-driven Chardonnay with precise acidity.
• Te Muna Road spans three distinct terraces representing different stages of the Ruamahanga River's evolution, giving Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc markedly different soil expressions within a single estate.

The Prestige Collection is the pinnacle of Craggy Range's output, comprising five single-vineyard wines made only in exceptional vintages. Sophia is a Merlot-dominant Bordeaux blend drawing on Gimblett Gravels fruit, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc as supporting varieties. Le Sol is a pure Gimblett Gravels Syrah, fermented from the warmest and stoniest sections of the vineyard. Aroha is the prestige Pinot Noir, sourced from Te Muna Road in Martinborough, made with partial whole-bunch fermentation and wild yeast. Les Beaux Cailloux is a single-block Chardonnay, and The Quarry is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend. Chief Winemaker Ben Tombs has moved the collection toward reduced new oak and gentler extraction, prioritising site transparency over power.

• Sophia (Merlot-dominant blend) has its own fermentation room at Giants Winery, with 8,000-litre French oak cuves for individual-parcel fermentation.
• Le Sol Syrah is sourced from the warmest parcels of Gimblett Gravels; the 2022 vintage was aged 17 months in 500-litre French oak barrels with 45% new oak.
• Aroha Pinot Noir uses partial whole-bunch fermentation and indigenous yeast at Te Muna Road, producing a wine with layered texture and savoury complexity.

Craggy Range operates two purpose-built wineries in Hawke's Bay. Giants Winery, situated at the foot of Te Mata Peak in Havelock North, serves as the cellar door, restaurant, and headquarters, and houses the dedicated Sophia fermentation room with large French oak cuves. The Gimblett Gravels Winery, located in the heart of the winegrowing district, handles most of the estate's production and is equipped with a diverse array of fermentation vessels including stainless steel, concrete, ceramic, amphora, and oak. Current Chief Winemaker Ben Tombs, who trained in Burgundy, Oregon, the northern Rhone Valley, and the Yarra Valley, has embraced a philosophy of minimal intervention: less new oak, lighter extraction, and indigenous yeast ferments that allow each vineyard site to speak clearly.

• Two Hawke's Bay wineries: Giants Winery in Havelock North for prestige production and cellar door; Gimblett Gravels Winery for estate-scale vinification.
• Ben Tombs won New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year in 2020 and joined Craggy Range in 2021 before being promoted to Chief Winemaker in December 2023.
• The Prestige Collection has been steered toward restrained new oak and reduced extraction since Tombs took the helm, producing more site-expressive, elegant wines.

The 1,000-year trust established by Terry Peabody is the structural backbone of Craggy Range's long-term thinking: no short-term commercial pressure can force a sale or a compromise of the estate's founding ideals. In 2020, the winery launched an ambitious biodiversity project committing to the planting of more than 250 acres of native trees within its Martinborough vineyards to improve ecosystem health and land quality. Three generations of the Peabody family now work in the business. In November 2024, David T. Peabody, grandson of Terry, was appointed Executive Director, continuing the family's hands-on governance. The winery's restaurant has also earned acclaim, winning major hospitality awards in New Zealand.

• Biodiversity project launched 2020: more than 250 acres of native New Zealand trees being planted within the Martinborough vineyards.
• David T. Peabody appointed Executive Director in November 2024, marking the third generation of the Peabody family in the winery's leadership.
• Craggy Range is on Drinks International's World's Most Admired Wine Brands list from 2019 to 2024, reflecting sustained international esteem for both wines and hospitality.