Visiting New Zealand on a wine tour four years ago, I felt pleasure and numbness. The pleasure came from the wines and their friendly makers. The numbness came from arriving in Auckland on September 11, 2001. In “The Emperor of Wine,” reviewed in this column last week, Elin McCoy recounts that wine critic Robert M. Parker was visiting Rhone Valley wineries on that day. He and winemaker Gerard Chave “watched television in shock,” Ms. McCoy writes. “Finally, Parker said, ‘I can’t watch any more. Let’s taste.'” That was precisely my reaction, watching television from about as far away from ground zero as a person could be. For the next two weeks, I tasted wine with a hollow heart.

Last Thursday, at Cafe Gray, I had a chance to again meet several vintners whose wines had jumped out of the pack in 2001. They are members of the “Family of Twelve,” a new, rather informal band of first-tier New Zealand wineries. The Twelve are evenly divided between the North and South Islands. Six hundred miles separates northernmost Kumeu River winery from Felton Road, way down south. All members are well established and already have American importers for their premium wines. They compete for the same customers. So why form an alliance? “If I come to New York and have a tasting of my own wines only, it’s hard to get noticed,” said Richard Riddiford of Palliser Estate, a medium-size winery in Martinborough. “If my wines are in a general tasting of New Zealand wines, it’s also hard to get noticed. Twelve is a natural number.”

These wineries are also bonded by their feeling that they are, as Steve Smith, the general manager of Craggy Range, put it, “presenting the heart and soul of New Zealand wine.” In other words, the Twelve are determined not to be swallowed up by leviathan corporate beverage corporations. Invoking a distinction made by Mick Brajkovich of Kumeu River, Mr. Smith said, “These days either you are in the drinks business or you are in the wine trade. The trade is traditional and honorable, and it is about selling a wine that comes from a particular place without industrializing it.” While still a bit player in the American wine market, New Zealand is on a roll, with sales leaping to 7.2 million liters in 2004 from 3.1 million liters in 2001.

New Zealand made a dramatic entry into the American market in the mid-1980s with Cloudy Bay’s sauvignon blanc from Marlborough. Its piercingly fresh fruit aromas and electric acidity put that wine in a category of its own. I tasted a legion of distinctive sauvignon blancs during my visit to New Zealand four years ago. What caught me off guard, and pleasantly so, were the pinot noirs, which the locals had so far cannily, maybe even greedily, kept on their own tables rather than export. Those wines evoked the elusive texture, weight, and flavors of good basic Burgundy, although some were, to my taste, a touch too raspberry jammy. But Kiwis are fast learners, and their pinot noirs have been getting better with each vintage. The same is true for other reds, notably cabernet sauvignon and merlot, which have a far harder time than pinot noir ripening in the cool New Zealand climate. This time around, I tasted one Bordeaux blend that was a knockout (see below).

I’d assumed that two and a half hours would be ample time to taste the wines of the Twelve. But that turned out to be not nearly long enough. As the Twelve began packing up, I’d only covered six wineries. I apologize to Ata Rangi, Fromm Winery, Lawson’s Dry Hills, Milton Vineyard, Nautilus Estate, and Pegasus Bay for gabbing so much that I didn’t get to your wines. Clearly, the only way to rectify the situation is to plan another trip to New Zealand.

RECOMMENDED WINES

KUMEU RIVER “KUMEU” CHARDONNAY 2004 ($31.15)

This winery on Auckland’s outskirts is a Chardonnay specialist, now in the hands of the third generation of the Brajkovich family. Given the brief history of fine New Zealand wine, starting in the 1970s, that’s like going back to the Mayflower. Of the trio of chardonnays tasted, “Kumeu” was the middleweight: Touches of oak, vanilla, and citrus on the nose; rich but not fat in texture, with pure flavors, including the faintest kick of pineapple. Lingers long and clean on the finish. At Zachys, 16 E. Parkway, Scarsdale, N.Y., 866-922-4971.

CRAGGY RANGE “SOPHIA” 2002 ($37.95)

The darkest and richest red Bordeaux style blend I’ve ever seen or tasted from Kiwi land. Sourced from a dry, stony, ancient riverbed called Gimblett Gravels in Hawkes Bay. Along with merlot and malbec, the blend includes a potent dose of cabernet franc – often a gamey presence, but here showing sumptuous elegance, as it does at faraway Chateau Cheval Blanc. “Sophia” does not suffer from the comparison to the royalty of St. Emilion. At the core of this wine is a snap of spice, or possibly root ginger, all its own. Mr. Smith gambled to get the most ripeness from the grapes and the most flavor from long maceration time in the winery. At Sherry-Lehmann, 679 Madison Ave., 212-838-7500.

VILLA MARIA CELLAR SELECTION SAUVIGNON BLANC 2004 ($11.99)

Typical bright gooseberry notes, plus a bowlful of richer tropical aromas and tastes. Atypically rich, even oily, texture – more like chardonnay than sauvignon blanc. Could be a solo sipper, but ideal to partner with simply prepared lobster. Well priced. At Zachys.

PALLISER ESTATE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2004 ($16.99)

One signature of Kiwi sauvignon blanc is a bright but narrow beam of zingy flavor. Another, as in this wine and the one above, is a more layered approach. On top are herbal and meadow grass aromas and flavors. Below are richer, tropical fruit elements. Again, a structured wine for food. From Martinborough. At PJ Wine, 4898 Broadway, 212-567-5500.

FELTON ROAD PINOT NOIR 2003 ($47.95)

From Central Otago, the southernmost wine region on earth, and for pinot noir, some say the sexiest. So different from the Neudorf, this wine comes at you with bright, spicy aromas. Tangy and vivid black raspberry flavors in the mouth that expand on the finish. Exciting wine, but I wish it were about 10 bucks cheaper. At Sherry-Lehmann.

NEUDORF VINEYARDS “MOUTERE” PINOT NOIR 2003

Among dozens of pinot noirs I tasted blind at an Auckland wine fair in 2001, Neudorf was the one I most wanted to take home-Grown in hills above Nelson, isolated from mainline Kiwi wine regions. Gentle billows of aroma and flavor flow from this wine Dark fruit, meaty and wild mushroom elements mingle. Despite soft contours, this wine takes charge of your palate. I’m not sure whether it makes me want to purr or roar. Possibly both. Expected to arrive locally this fall, according to importer Domaine Select.