The 2012 Te Muna Road Vineyard Riesling reveals fragrant, floral scents wafting over a lime juice, warm lemon and grapefruit core with honeyed notes. Light-bodied and dry (9 grams of sugar per liter) with plenty of vibrant acidity, it offers very elegant and pure fruit flavor and a very fine texture before finishing long with steely, mineral notes. It is very good. Drink it now to 2018+. Imported by Kobrand Corp., New York, NY; tel. (212) 490-9300

The 2010 Te Muna Road Vineyard Riesling reveals a chalky / oyster shell character with nuances of lime zest, pink grapefruit and lemonade. Light bodied, tight-knit, concentrated and very crisp in the mouth, it offers a suggestion of residual sugar to balance the freshness, finishing long and citrusy. Drink this one now to 2015+. Importer: Kobrand Corp., New York, NY; tel. (212) 490-9300

The 2009 Te Muna Road Riesling has a light, ‘minimalist’ nose but the palate is better with notes of green lemon, lime and fresh green apple. This is well balanced, if a little simple towards the finish. Drink now-2014. 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 2008 Te Muna Road Riesling is blessed with another compelling nose with dried flowers, limestone and a touch of undergrowth developing in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine definition, lovely balance and poise with a citrus-lime edge on the focused finish. Good length. Excellent. Craggy Range continue to press forward with their ambitious plans and are rapidly becoming one of the most familiar New Zealand producers both at an entry-level, having successfully penetrated the competitive supermarket shelves in the UK, but also winning plaudits for their array of flagship bottlings such as Le Sol, Sophia and The Quarry. I concentrated on new releases but re-tasted some of the Pinot Noirs that I felt have improved significantly.Importer: Kobrand Corporation, Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7700