Ata Rangi Martinborough Pinot Noir 2019

Reviews

James Suckling (JamesSuckling.com): 98/100 & Top 100 Wines of 2021. A complex wine from the outset with gently reductive notes and modern oak spice threading into fresh cherry, spiced bread, rose, forest wood and blood orange, as well as darker cherry notes. The palate tells the full story. This displays real power and definition with clear-cut and powerful tannins. The intensity of the red-cherry fruit is impressive and the way it occupies the finish with length and uplift is the thing that defines great pinot noir per se. Strong vintage. Drink over the next decade.

Bob Campbell, MW (The Real Review): 98/100. Elegant, seamless pinot noir with fragrant, floral, red rose, dark cherry, anise, spice and restrained savoury and fresh herb characters. It's a complex medley of appealing flavours supported by an ethereal texture and a lingering finish. A surprisingly accessible wine from an excellent vintage. Should develop well with bottle age.

Decanter: 97/100. (Tasted by Tina Gellie (at Decanter, London W2, 17 Feb 2022) Part of New Zealand Pinot Noir: 20 premium wines to try). The 2019 vintage was a great year for New Zealand Pinot Noir, and this is a knockout. Here, whole-bunch fruit gives a strawberry liquorice approachability but there is an elegant structural frame to support its development. Aromas of red cherry and incense linger through a concentrated yet ethereal palate of grenadine, rosehip and tart plums, enlivened by deft oaking, mouthwatering juiciness and supple tannins. Drinking Window 2022 – 2030.

Falstaff (Anne Krebiehl MW): 96/100. Really aromatic cranberry and redcurrant fruit with that gorgeous edge of white pepper. With air, the fruit almost gets a candied, heightened quality. On the palate, the fruit performs a veritable tight walk, between candied ripeness and utter freshness.

Cameron Douglas MS: 96/100 (Outstanding). Complex and layered, beguiling yet pure fruited, layers of fruit earth and wood scents that can only come from vine age and a true understanding of vineyard and vintage. Primary fruit flavours and dried herb, quietly savoury and complex oak and lees flavours touch the palate first. This is still a very new tasting wine so cellar time is highly recommended. Tannins are ripe and polished, acidity youthful and precise, complexity and synergies multiple. A grand example of Wairarapa Pinot Noir, delicious, taut, youthful and complex. Best drinking is likely from 2026 through 2040+.

Michael Cooper: Super Wine Classic & Not-to-be-missed New Zealand wine. One of the greatest of all New Zealand wines. This benchmark Pinot Noir is the region's greatest, with a superb string of vintages back to 1984.

Tasting Note

A full fragrant nose of sun-baked raspberry, red rose, anise and dark cherry meld with delicate savoury notes of dried mushrooms and fresh herbs. The palate is a balance of power and freshness, with flavours of fresh red cherry carrying through to the finish. Complex yet ethereal.

Aromas and flavours:

Additional information

Type: red wine

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Alcohol: 13.5% vol

Residual sugar: <1 g/l

Bottle size: 0.75l

Food match: Match with duck, pork, beef and lamb dishes

Notice: contains sulfite

Vineyard: Martinborough, New Zealand. The deep, lean, free-draining gravels of Martinborough, high wind run, low rainfall and exposure to the southern ocean means average pinot noir yields here are the lowest in the country. These factors, along with the significant age of our vines, contribute to the consistency of quality year after year and to the unique and distinctive sense of place.

Vintage: Good rainfall up to Christmas set the vineyards up well for what was a very dry Summer. Overall, the season was slightly warmer than average, but the cooler finish to the season meant vibrant acidity was retained, while tannins ripened fully. Smaller bunches and yields resulted in concentration and complexity, which will allow this 2019 to age beautifully.

Winemaking: Only the oldest parcels of fruit are used in this premium Pinot Noir. The fabled Abel clone, allegedly smuggled from Burgundy in the mid-70s, makes up 40% of the blend. 35% whole bunch with the remainder destemmed. Peak ferment temp 32°C, all ferments handplunged. Total tank time 20 - 23 days. After pressing, complete malolactic ferment in oak. 11 months total in French oak (35% new), then blended and held for another 6 months.

Cellaring potential: 2028+

Closure: Screwcap

Serving: Serve Pinot Noir at 16 - 18°C, that is slightly cooler than a typical room temperature, to best enjoy the layers of aroma and flavour as the wine slowly warms in the glass. Decanting an hour or so before serving is worthwhile, especially for young and/or more structured wines.

Produced and bottled: Ata Rangi Vineyard, PO Box 43, Martinborough 5741, New Zealand

Distributor: vinabonus GmbH, Simmedenweg 40, 34134 Kassel, Germany

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