2022 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir Martinborough

Dark, spicy nose, layered with blueberry, damson plum, raspberry, borage, forest floor and sweet hay, plus slightly smoky cinnamon, clove and cumin. Silky and flowing, with good energy and very fine, slightly sinewy tannins. Good depth and build. Supple and savoury with a nice sense of density at its core, though it’s a very elegant rather than ‘big’ wine. Youthful, with a promising future. (EJ)

A tight and focused Ata Rangi with sliced strawberries and hints of white pepper and minerals. It’s medium-bodied, crisp and fresh, with light wet earth and fresh mushroom undertones to the fruit. This has verve.

There's always something intriguing in the nose of the Ata Rangi wines, something a little more interesting than I expected for some reason. Which, I really should have figured out if it's always, but anyhow - the nose just draws me in. There's this kind of vague dark cloud around this really lovely core of fruit both crunchy and ripe. Cranberry skin, tart cherry juice, little bits of flowers, and a little bit of vanilla and spice give this a really lovingly complex bouquet. It feels like a wine someone cared 110% about. The palate has this beautiful fruit up front that slowly gives way to barrel spice and earth before a little flash of bright red fruit comes back in at the end. This is maybe the best release of the Ata Rangi Pinot Noir that I've had during my time here, it's definitely one of the first I'm going to buy into and get a couplefew bottles, especially some to lay down.

This is an Ata Rangi to seek out. The 2021-2022 was a very good growing season, potentially too good. How can a vintage be too good? When the vineyards that they usually separate out for their reserve bottlings didn’t differentiate themselves enough from each other. So all of that great fruit went into this bottling. This has that classic red fruit profile that I loved from previous bottlings. It has that subtle savory tone that I associate with this wine and the entire region. This is more concentrated than the previous vintage; it carries that extra-ness easily, and it does not feel overstuffed. The winemaking here is incredible: great mouthfeel, driving acidic backbone, a long, lingering finish. This does what next-level Pinot should do: it balances elegance and intensity. Delicious now; I cannot wait to see how this wine evolves. This is serious Pinot Noir.