2019 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir Half Bottle 375ml, Martinborough

HALF BOTTLE 375ML

Ata Rangi was founded by Clive Paton in 1980. The first vines were planted on a small, stony sheep paddock at the edge of the Martinborough Village. Clive’s sister Alison bought an adjoining block soon after and in 1986 Clive’s partner Phyll Pattie bought a share in the business after moving from Marlborough where she had been working as a winemaker.

40 years on, we continue to work diligently to nurture Ata Rangi’s enviable reputation as one of the new world’s most respected pinot noir producers. Today, Alison Paton heads up day-to-day running of the business, with Helen Masters crafting the wines aided by the vital stewardship of vineyard manager Braden Crosby.

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. Screw cap.

98 pts – James Suckling, Dec 2021