This 2009 Rapaura Road Vineyard Riesling has a light, rosewater, peaches and cream nose with good definition, but once again, it lacks a little vigor. The palate has a pert grassy, lime and Granny Smith entry and citrus-driven acidity with a poised finish. It lacks a little length, but offers refreshing appeal. Drink now-2016. 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.

The 2007 Rapaura Road Riesling was cropped at higher levels (47 hectoliters per hectare) and, to be honest, that is tangible in the wine, the stony, grapefruit inspired nose just lacking a little precision compared to the others, the palate more linear but still well-defined and crisp. This quartet of Rieslings should drink well now and over the next 3 to 4-years. The Sauvignon Blanc wines demonstrated the nuances that terroir can imprint themselves upon a wine. The precocious Craggy Range has rapidly become one of New Zealand’s premier wine producers. Established in 1997, it is the collaboration between businessman Terry Peabody and the winemaking expertise of quiet, retiring Steve Smith MW, who concentrates upon the Bordeaux-blend “Sophia” and the Sauvignon Blanc. Smith has employed the skills of Rob Easthope to focus upon Chardonnay and Syrah and Adrian Baker on Pinot Noir, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. The state-of-the-art winery is modeled on futuristic architecture and is over-shadowed by the peaks that give rise to their name. The philosophy is firmly directed towards small production of single vineyard sites a la Burgundy. They purchased their own vineyard in the Te Muna sub-region of Martinborough where Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are cultivated, whilst fruit from the South Island is out-sourced. Their two flagship wines of “Sophia,” a Bordeaux blend and “Le Sol,” which is 100% Syrah. Recent vintages of these were tasted both at the winery and appeared in blind horizontal tasting where their quality shone through.Importer: Kobrand Corporation, Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7700; Fax (914) 253-7910