Our Wines | Small Parcels
Small Parcels are our flagship wines – a range devoted to delivering the very best expression of Kim Crawford Wines and New Zealand. We take the very finest grapes and react uniquely to them, making a wine that may be individual, not just to that year, but to that small parcel of carefully selected fruit.
2007 SP ‘Tietjen’ Gisborne Chardonnay
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range.
Paul and Jenny Tietjen’s passion for growing world class Chardonnay on their vineyard on the Golden Slopes of Gisborne is second to none. This wine is made from barrels from various sections within one block of the Mendoza clone.
From one of the best ever vintages in this region, these grapes were dejuiced in Gisborne then taken down to Marlborough for ferment. The wine was put to 35 per cent new American oak for the last portion of ferment and from there it underwent natural malolactic fermentation. The wine was in oak for six months before being bottled.
Tasting Notes
Straw.
Lifted peaches and cream, oak and butterscotch.
The fantastic fruit weight has combined well with the malolactic and toasty oak to make a well-integrated and balanced Chardonnay. Rich flavours of stone fruits provide the luscious back bone to this wine.
Medium term with careful cellaring.
Great with seafood, white meats and ideal with any rich butter and saffron sauces.
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2007 SP ‘Boyszone’ Marlborough Pinot Gris
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range.
The grapes for this wine were selected from five different vineyards spread across the Marlborough region. Flavour is the determining factor for harvest timing with Braeburn apple, fresh pear and quince being the target flavours, allowing us to retain crisp acidity and a clean fruit driven style. A small portion of the juice (12 per cent) was put into old oak and underwent natural fermentation. Almost half of the wine went through malolactic fermentation and after ferment a small amount of Gewurztraminer, for aromatics, and Riesling, for acidity, was blended into the wine before bottling.
Tasting Notes
Light straw.
Complex aromas from fermentation are combined with pear and honey.
The palate has well balanced acidity, good weight and easy drinking appeal. Pipfruits, butterscotch and honey abound.
Ideal to have all by itself or with pasta, delicate fish dishes, laksa and white meats.
Two to three years with confidence.
./downloads/2008-marlborough-sauvignon-blanc.pdf">Download the full tasting notes
2008 SP ‘Spitfire’ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range. This wine derives its name from one of the supplying vineyards - the land was used as an air force training base during World War II.
Cool conditions during flowering resulted in lighter than average cropping levels and this was followed by ideal ripening and flavour development conditions for the remainder of the growing season. The grapes, from three separate vineyards, were machine harvested in the cool of the evening and overnight to preserve flavours. Each block was kept separate during the winemaking process and when all tanks had completed ferment they were blended, stabilised and bottled.
Tasting Notes
Palest green.
A wonderful array of aromas - nettles, passionfruit, stone fruit and cut grass.
An intensely rich wine with a multitude of flavours. It is held together with firm acidity, beautiful fruit sweetness and lashings of tropical fruit flavours. The wine has good length and is very persistent in the mouth.
Oysters and lemon grass based dishes.
Three to five years.
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2007 SP ‘Flowers’ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range.
The Flowers Sauvignon Blanc is our flagship Sauvignon Blanc. ‘Flowers’ was the nickname of Brendon Flowerday who was tragically killed on one of our supplying vineyards. This wine was specially blended to remember this young man’s spirit.
This year the wine is derived from two vineyards: McLean in the Wairau Valley and Richmond Brook in the Awatere Valley of Marlborough. The grapes were destemmed directly to press with no skin contact (except for in the truck on the way to the winery.) The juice was fermented at cool temperatures to preserve flavours. The wines were assessed at dryness and blended to make what we believe is our best Sauvignon Blanc. The blend proportions are 85 per cent from McLean and the balance from the Richmond Brook vineyard.
Tasting Notes
Pale straw with hints of green.
Ripe sweet fruits with tropical notes underpinned with herbaceous hints.
A wine of great finesse. Passionfruit laced with currants making this is a wonderfully fresh and vibrant wine with layers of flavour.
Oysters and lemon grass based dishes.
Drinking well now but will improve over the next 2 years.
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2007 SP ‘Anderson Vineyard’ Marlborough Pinot Noir
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range.
The grapes for this wine come from Ian and Donna Anderson’s vineyard high up in the Brancott Valley in Marlborough. The clay soils of the Brancott tend to give us a lighter style of Pinot Noir.
These grapes, a mixture of clones, were hand harvested and fermented and aged in stainless steel until post malolactic fermentation. The wine was then put into 30 per cent new French barrels and the balance to older French barrels where it was allowed to mature for five months. It then received a light egg white fining, was stabilised, filtered and bottled.
Tasting Notes
Bright red.
Fresh summer fruits with a hint of spicy toasty oak.
A lighter fruit driven style with good spicy oak to give complexity. Incredibly juicy fruit with great weight and length.
Great with smoked salmon, and any lamb or on its own.
Three to five years with confidence
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2007 SP ‘Kim's Favourite’ Marlborough Pinot Noir
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range.
These Pinot Noir grapes are from two Marlborough vineyards. After crushing the grapes were cold soaked for four days and had six days fermenting on their skins. Wild ferment allowed the fruit to show its true expression. Seventy per cent of the wine matured for 10 months in oak, a quarter of that in new French oak, and the balance in stainless steel. All of the wine went through malolactic fermentation and received a light egg white fining before being stabilised, filtered and bottled.
Tasting Notes
Deep red.
Red fruits – cherry and plum – with underlying spicy oak notes.
Red and black fruit dominate the palate. The wine is powerful and well balanced with great length and persistence. Careful use of oak integrates well to give a full-bodied style of Pinot Noir.
Great with smoked salmon, and any lamb dish.
Three to five years with confidence.
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2006 SP ‘Kim's Favourite’ Gisborne Chardonnay
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range.
A blend from two vineyards, 50 per cent from Paul and Jenny Tietjen’s and 50 per cent from Murray McPhail’s, a renowned horticulturist and owner of Leaderbrand, both in the greater Hexton region in Gisborne. The grapes were machine harvested in ideal conditions without the addition of preservative, allowing the skin tannins to oxidise. Fermented separately in 40 per cent new American oak, the wine went through full malolactic fermentation and spent six months sur lie in barrel. The wine was then blended to the big, bold style of Chardonnay we love.
Tasting Notes
Mid straw with lime juice hints.
Powerful nose with ripe peach and tropical fruits, complexed with hints of toasty oak and butterscotch.
This voluptuous wine exhibits fruit power, with peach and Juicy Fruit chewing gum flavours, integrated oak and a ripe fruit finish.
Medium term with careful cellaring.
Great with seafood, white meats and ideal with any rich butter and Saffron sauces. Kim Crawford, May 2007
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2006 SP ‘Dolly’ Gisborne Chardonnay
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range.
A blend from two vineyards, 50 per cent from Paul and Jenny Tietjen’s and 50 per cent from Murray McPhail’s, a renowned horticulturist and owner of Leaderbrand, both in the greater Hexton region in Gisborne. The grapes were machine harvested in ideal conditions without the addition of preservative, allowing the skin tannins to oxidise. Fermented separately in 40 per cent new American oak, the wine went through full malolactic fermentation and spent six months sur lie in barrel. The wine was then blended to the big, bold style of Chardonnay we love.
Tasting Notes
Mid straw with limejuice hints.
Powerful nose with ripe peach and tropical fruits, complexed with hints of toasty oak and butterscotch.
This voluptuous wine exhibits fruit power, with peach and Juicy Fruit chewing gum flavours, integrated oak and a ripe fruit finish.
Medium term with careful cellaring.
Great with seafood, white meats and ideal with any rich butter and Saffron sauces.
GOLD MEDAL – Royal Easter Show Awards 2007
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2006 SP Noble ‘Reka’ Marlborough Riesling
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range.
Reka is a Maori word meaning sweet.
Bunches of Marlborough Riesling grapes with high levels of noble rot were hand selected in the vineyard for Reka. These intensely flavoured grapes produce a decadent and richly flavoured wine
A delightfully indulgent wine that can be served alongside your favourite dessert dish or in place of! You can even combine the two. Drizzle this wine over fresh summer berries (especially strawberries) and lightly dust with icing sugar - heavenly. Or, for that impromptu dinner party drizzle over good quality vanilla ice-cream! Worry about the calories tomorrow.
This is the ideal summer afternoon pick me up to accompany fresh fruit and cheese.
Tasting Notes
Pale straw in colour with hints of gold.
Perfumed youthful nose with apricot and marmalade apparent, complexed with honey and star anise.
Intense, rich full flavoured wine with honey and dried apricots. The wine finishes well with the alcohol drying the sugar nicely. Like your mother in law it goes on and on and on.
This is the ideal summer afternoon pick me up to accompany fresh fruit and cheese.
Three to five years.
TROPHY & GOLD MEDAL - Champion Sweet Wine - Royal Easter Show 2007
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2006 SP ‘Spitfire’ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range.
The wine derives its name from the vineyard, the Delta, which was used as an air force training base during World War 2. It is seldom that a single vineyard gives us a full spectrum of flavours to make a complete wine. When optimum ripeness was established by the viticultural team, the grapes were machined harvested without preservative and immediately processed. Cold settled for 36 hours the juice was then racked and inoculated with yeast. A temperature-controlled fermentation ensured that the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc vitality was harnessed. Once dry the wine was stabilised and bottled.
Tasting Notes
Pale straw with hints of green.
Hugely aromatic and intense with nettle, sweat, grapefruit and tropical notes, which are underscored with the typical herbaceousness - all characteristics of good quality Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
Powerful palate with sweat, dry herbs, gooseberry and tropical fruits. Full flavoured, the wine’s inherent sweet fruit characters are dried nicely by the alcohol and acidity. Great longevity of flavour.
Oysters and lemon grass based dishes.
Three to five years.
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2005 SP ‘Park-Lands Vineyard’ Gisborne Gewurztraminer
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range.
The grapes for this Small Parcel of wine come from Chris and Ann Parker’s Park-Lands Vineyard in Gisborne. The grapes were hand and machine harvested in five batches at differing levels of ripeness. To maximise the flavour profile of the wine, the batches were all handled differently; whole bunch pressed, machine harvested with no skin contact and machine harvested with skin contact. Twenty per cent of the juice was barrel fermented for three months for complexity. Each of the batches was assessed and the final blend was approximately 75 per cent of the total production.
Tasting Notes
Pale straw with green and gold notes.
Aromatic, distinctive Gewurztraminer with rose petal, lychee and five spice. Reasonable level of complexity.
Rich, full bodied palate with prominent lychee and rose petal notes. The medium sweet palate is dried by alcohol and restrained acid. Persists well.
Classic match for Asian food.
Three to five years.
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2004 SP ‘Pia’ Wood Aged Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range.
The grapes for this wine come from three separate vineyards in Marlborough. When they had reached optimum maturity all the grapes were hand harvested and whole bunch pressed to a tank.
After eight hours settling a quarter of the wine was racked to old oak for spontaneous fermentation. The balance remained in tank and spontaneous fermentation occurred. After 10 months on yeast lees the wine was racked from tank and barrel, stabilised and bottled. Ninety two per cent of the wine went through malolactic fermentation.
Tasting Notes
Pale straw with hints of green and gold.
Complex nose with creamy, mealy characters abounding and underscored by subtle hints of herbaceousness and oak.
Rich, full palate with a diverse range of flavours. Cream and yeast autolysis dominate but are complexed well with ripe Sauvignon flavours, a hint of oak and persistent acid.
Five to seven years with confidence.
One of the few Sauvignons to be an ideal match to seafood and white meats.
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2004 SP ‘Anderson Vineyard’ Bone Dry Riesling
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range.
The grapes for this wine are from Ian and Donna Anderson’s vineyard high up in the Brancott Valley in Marlborough.
The grapes were hand picked and whole bunch pressed. The wine was cool fermented in stainless steel tanks until dry, before being stabilised and bottled.
Tasting Notes
Pale straw.
First impressions count and this one surely impresses, reminiscent of eating white stone fruit surrounded by honeysuckle.
If you ever had lemon marmalade or lemon meringue pie filling you will know what this wine reminds you of. The acid is balanced and the length is striking.
Succulent pan-fried scallops tossed in lemon and chives and given an extra hit with lemon-infused oil.
Will keep with careful cellaring for up to 15 years. Can’t wait.
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2003 SP Brut Rory
The saying 'good things come in small parcels' applies to wine. Each vintage we discover small batches of exceptional grapes which we make into our Small Parcel SP range.
Rory is the Gaelic word for Reddish, and the name of Kim Crawford's son.
The 2003 Rory is a 50:50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes from Marlborough. The grapes were pressed immediately after harvest and any colour was removed from the Pinot Noir. The wines were fermented separately and once dry underwent full malolactic fermentation. When this was complete the wine was stabilised and filtered. In February 2004 the wine was triaged and then left on these lees for 16 months before disgorging. The dosage lifted the sugar to 10 grams per litre to balance the wine.
Rory is a classic new world sparkling wine. Traditional techniques coupled with modern technology have produced a wine of great complexity and underlying fruit weight. A lively wine filled with youthful vitality, very much like the child it is named after.
Tasting Notes
Mid straw with hints of green and gold, persistent fine bead.
Chardonnay dominates the nose with granny smith apple and some melon. This is complexed by freshly baked bread and some yeast extract characters (vegemite).
Good flavour attack with the bready, yeasty characters more dominant. The palate is broadened and made richer by the Pinot and finishes well with great persistence.
The wine will develop more toasty notes over time - it is a personal thing if one likes aged or fresh bubbly. A wine of celebration.
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