Winery: Ata Rangi
Region: Wairarapa, Martinborough NZ
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2009
Your Wine Guy says:
The Ata Rangi Pinot Noir rightfully sits among the worlds best for quality and consistency, yet at a fraction of the price you can pay for the same calibre from Burgundy.
In the glass the 2009 is deep crimson at the core with crimson purple rim. The nose shows superb intensity with aromatic varietal characters of perfumed dark plums, some rich dark cherries, hints of violet, followed by some toasty and spicy notes. The palate is rich and intense, medium bodied, showing all the power you would expect with amazing silky finesse. The palate flavours follow from the nose with flavours of dark cherries, violet, spice, anise and some toasty cedary oak enveloping the palate in an exceptional flood of flavour and tannins almost velvet like. The flavours seem to go on and on, very long finish - excellent.
97 Points YWG Drink to 2016
Critics say:
“It’s going to be a hard wine to knock off for this award, and 2009 is yet another stunning wine. Ethereal complexity, depth and palate weight. You’ll struggle to find better quality and value outside of Burgundy”
97 Points Nick Stock
"A lighter coloured vintage for Ata Rangi – red fruit (cherry), plum, a musk and rose perfume and plenty of spice with the promise of some mulchy, earthy forest-floor like flavours to come. It’s full in the mouth, although not heavy, with an almost creamy texture, but juicy, spicy, fresh and lightly sappy too. Fans out on the finish and delivers satisfaction from front to back. Superb."
96 Points Gary Walsh - The Wine Front
The winemaker says:
Notes sourced from Ata Rangi’s site www.atarangi.co.nz
Crushed rose petal, red fruits and cherry stone meld with a seam of spice on the nose in this rich and opulent, 2009 Pinot Noir. The immediate impression on the palate is of a very serious wine; a broad spread of dark fruits and deep, savoury notes, with the classic ‘peacock’s tail’ burst of flavour at the end. Particularly dense, ripe, layered tannins are very fine, providing a long, driven finish. Vine age is now undoubtedly a factor in the distinctive ‘expression of place' so evident in the glass. There’s a tension and purity of character that we’re very, very excited about and we look forward to following the evolution of this very special pinot noir.
The 2009 vintage is definitely one ‘to have and to hold’. The vines were a picture of health right through the season thanks to intermittent and well-timed early season rain, while April was magically fine and dry for the long harvest. With close to 60 tiny plots of Pinot all within metres of one another on adjacent blocks, familiarity with almost every single vine is virtually a requirement of the job. Grapes from vines that range in age from 10 to 30 years are meticulously hand-sorted as they arrive at the winery, with individual blocks and clones then fermented separately. About ten months later a blind tasting, barrel by barrel, decides the first ‘cut’. Younger vine fruit tends to end up in Crimson, while the original 30-year old home block ‘Gumboot Clone’ and best plots of Dijon Clone invariably reach the quality level we seek in Ata Rangi’s “Grand Cru”.
We recommend serving Pinot Noir at around 16oC to 18oC, and enjoy slowly, savouring the layers of flavour as the wine slowly warms and unfolds in the glass. Also consider decanting when the wine is very young, an hour or two before serving.
Winery Information:
YWG note: The Ata Rangi Pinot has been judged the world’s best Pinot Noir no less than 3 times winning the hugely coveted Bouchard-Finlayson Trophy for Best Pinot Noir at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London. This recognition on the world stage followed a ten year period of gold medal and trophy successes in numerous major Australasian wine shows.
The following information is sourced from Ata Rangi www.atarangi.co.nz 04/08/11
ATA RANGI "new beginning" or "dawn sky" was a barren 5-hectare paddock when Clive Paton bought it in 1980. He was one of a handful of winemaking pioneers in Martinborough, then a forgotten rural settlement, who were attracted to the area by three key features - the localised, free-draining shingle terrace some 20 metres deep, the lowest rainfall records of anywhere in the North Island, and the proximity to the capital city of Wellington, just an hour away.
Clive, who'd farmed in the area, knew the land well. He chose mainly red varieties - Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah - and set out in pursuit of world class wines. Pinot Noir's potential shone from the start - the early wines widely appreciated for their texture and for their pure fruit expression of the variety. The early days were tough with no income, trees or shelter belts (the Wairarapa is renowned for its relentless, drying nor-westers) and little experience. The first winemakers persevered, sharing knowledge and ideas, as well as equipment and winery space. Clive grew pumpkins and garlic between the rows, carting them to the markets in Wellington.
His faith in the area paid off.
Today the wines enjoy an enviable international reputation, with listings in many of the finest restaurants of the world. As Bob Campbell MW notes "It's true - Ata Rangi has the Midas touch with all of its wines."
Around 15,000 cases are produced from the 35 hectares of vineyards supplying fruit to the winery. Over half is exported, mainly to Australia, the UK, USA and Japan. The winery shop welcomes visitors all year around. Hours are 1pm to 3pm midweek, and Noon to 4pm weekends and holidays.
Thirty years after the start of the wine industry here, Martinborough is thriving. The charming, leafy wine village with its cluster of restaurants, cafes and interesting shops centred around a park-like Square is a popular destination for wine and food-lovers or for those simply seeking a retreat from city life.
|