The 2011 Sauvignon Blanc gives notes of fresh apples and pears with hints of grapefruit peel and fresh thyme. Medium bodied, it offers refreshing acidity and a moderate concentration of citrus and herbal flavors, finishing long. Drinking now, it should keep to 2013. Importer: Winebow; www.winebow.com

Yealands Way is the entry level label. The 2009 Yealands Way Sauvignon Blanc gives intense grassy, gooseberry and lemon zest aromas plus some asparagus. Crisp and concentrated with a pleasant herbal character on the medium bodied palate, the finish is long and zesty. Drink it now. Peter Yealands doesn’t do things by halves. When the local landowner set his sights on producing wines he committed 1000 hectares of prime Awatere Valley sea view property to vine. His timing, well, it couldn’t have been worse. But the good news is that with the vines coming into production now, he seems to have chosen a pretty good spot for producing Sauvignons with a bit of character and edge, and at a very good price point. To a lesser extent he’s got a real fruit salad of other vines planted for the purposes of experimentation, which is to be commended. Some of these are already making pretty good wines; one such grape is Gruner Veltliner. Though not reviewed here, I sampled a very promising tank sample that tastes textbook varietally correct. Winemaker Tamra Washington deserves a pat on the back for her skill at crafting good wines from such young vines on scales large and small.Importer: Winebow; www.winebow.com