Sourced from Cromwell Basin and Gibbston, this 2008 Wild Rock Cupids Arrow Pinot Noir has crunchy raspberry leaf and tart red cherries on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied, chunky tannins but nice clean fruit, bright raspberry, strawberry and cherry leading to a rather lean finish. Drink now-2012. 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.

A decent value in New Zealand Pinot Noir, the 2008 Wild Rock displays aromas of bright if somewhat simple cherry fruit. On the palate, this is a medium-bodied, supple wine; the cherry and plum flavors show only modest complexity, perhaps a hint of hickory smoke. Drink now. ——J.C.(4/1/2011)—— 86