Steady yourself folks, there is no sparkling in this blog but before you think I've lost the sparkle in my life it is going to be alright because there's still Pinot and Chardonnay because yesterday I visited Ata Rangi.
Ata Rangi is the stuff of myths and legends if you love your Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and it turns out that there are more myths and legends to be found on arrival. The first cuttings for the Pinot Noir planted 31 years ago are said to have come from Romanee-Conti via a wine enthusiast who swiped them on a visit to Burgundy. He was caught at the airport by a customs officer who was also a wine lover and planted them on his land in Auckland once they had been released through quarantine.
Owner Clive Paton heard about this and managed to get some cuttings from the chap up in Auckland and the rest as they say is history. Chief winemaker Helen took some time out of the pre-harvest sort out to show me around.
The wines from Ata Rangi are made with limited intervention, natural fermentation and although it doesn't say too much about it on the bottles, they have a commitment to sustainability and using native wasps for pest control and companion planting to keep the weeds down. It makes sense that a healthy vineyard that produces good fruit and with a timely nudge and a tweak from the winemaker some excellent wines will emerge.
Aaah the wines...
Lismore Pinot Gris 2010 The fruit is sourced from the Lismore vineyard north of the winery towards the Ruamahanaga river. 20% barrel ferment from vines with an average age of 17 years you can see why people get excited about Pinot Gris from New Zealand. Rich and ripe stone fruits are balanced out with hints of spice and a cleansing acidity. There is around 8g of residual sugar in this wine but it gives it a fuller rounder mouthfeel rather than being sweet.
Petrie Chardonnay 2009 The Petrie vineyard is 25 minutes north towards Masterton and there is much more clay in the soil here. The vines are predominantly clone 15 with around 17 years age and around 18-20% of the wine is barrel fermented in new fine grained French oak with a medium toast and 300l capacity. Crisp apple, lemon, pineapple, vanilla, hazelnuts and a hint of spice combine together to create a wine with intensity, complexity and balance.
Craighall Chardonnay 2010-tank sample The Craighall vineyard is across the road from the winery and is planted with the low cropping Mendoza clone. Although a tank sample the wine isn't far off being bottled and it is already excellent in its infancy. Lean and clean with a real minerality on the nose with subtle flavours of apples, toastiness and vanilla. On the palate it is a little shy to start out with and then the flavours begin to blossom into a wine with restraint and elegance.
Crimson Pinot Noir 2009 Drink Ata Rangi and save the world? How can any part of that equation be bad? Crimson is their second wine made from the younger Pinot Noir vines across their vineyards and is named after the conservation Project Crimson which aims to protect the native rata and pohutukawa and allow them to flourish with their vibrant red flowers. Fresh, crisp, redcurrants, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, cinnamon and white pepper come through on the nose, these flavours continue onto the palate and are balanced with ripe tannins and cleansing acidity. I also tried a sample from a bottle that had been open for 5 days and it had settled itself in nicely to become a little more savoury and softer in the mouth. An excellent wine to drink whilst you are waiting for your Ata Rangi proper to mature.
Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2009 The grapes for the legendary Ata Rangi are selected from 72 parcels across their vineyards. They have previously made a single vineyard McCrone Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006 but prefer to stick with their multi-site wine and when it's this good why mess with it? Helen said that she would happily tuck it away for ten years to mature a little further but even as a baby this has a rich redcurrant and gamey nose which follows through onto the palate with some wild strawberry and sweet spices. The acidity keeps it clean and crisp, tannins are grippy but ripe and there is a complexity and vibrancy to the wine which in itself explains why it has such a huge following outside of the tiny region of Martinborough.
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