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.

The 2007 Cupids Arrow Pinot Noir is a fine, entry-level Pinot Noir from Wild Rock. Jammy, red-berried fruits on the nose, the palate soft and plush, low acidity, fleshy and supple with a clean, slightly hot finish. You will finish a bottle too quickly and maybe forget it the next day. Drink now. No known American importer.