ATA RANGI CÉLÈBRE MERLOT / SYRAH 2019

Winery notes (2019 Vintage)
"A brilliant season for the late ripening varietals that make up our Célèbre blend. The season finished with a long dry spell in April that enabled the merlot, malbec, cabernet franc and syrah to reach perfect ripeness.

A full and enticing nose of aromas; blackberry and boysenberry tempered by spice notes of cardamom and cinnamon and a more complex savoury hint of sweet cedar. A seamless blend of tannins, ripe fruit and oak carry the wine to a satisfying and balanced finish.

The 2019 Célèbre is a blend of merlot 45%, syrah 40% and small portions of malbec 10% and cabernet franc at 5%. This is a wonderful release of Célèbre, the significant vine age of 30 years and over, contribute to the concentration and complexity of this wine."

5 Stars & 95/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, July 2021 (2019 Vintage)
"Wonderfully fruited and seductively styled, showing dark berry, clove, cedary oak and a hint of dried herb notes on the nose. The palate displays excellent weight and flow together with refined mouthfeel and fleshy texture, leading to a lengthy silky finish. Beautifully composed and harmonious. A blend of 45% Merlot, 40% Syrah, 10% Malbec & 5% Cabernet Franc. At its best: now to 2033."

93/100 ​Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review (2019 Vintage)
"A robust blend of 45% merlot, 40% syrah, 10% malbec and 5% cabernet franc with red berry, plum, toasted-oak and pepper-spice flavours. A complex wine with cellaring potential. "

Reviews for the 2018 vintage below…

Rated Excellent & 94/100 Cameron Douglas MS, August 2020 (2018 Vintage)
"A wine blended from Merlot, Syrah, Malbec & Cabernet Franc. Aromas of a complex and detailed wine with suggestions of plums and spice, dark olive and black berry, there’s a lovely floral scent adding a top-line of freshness then an earthy mineral and various shades of oak. On the palate – youthful, tense, vibrant and persistent. There’s power from the tannins and alcohol, medium+ acidity and a decent oak structure. The fruit provides the core with a persistent thread throughout the palate. Youthful, well made and long. Best drinking from 2023 through 2030. Decant for service before this time and serve with excellent protein rich fare."

93+/100 Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, December 2020 (2018 Vintage)
"Joe Exotic. Come to the kasbah. Laden with heady spice and a dash of pepper, plum and red fruit, dried tomato and black olive, some vanilla/cedar oak in support. Medium-bodied, tart raspberry and pomegranate, olives rolled in dried herb sort of flavours, a sappy crunch to the acidity, fine-grained tannin, and a long cool blue fruited finish. As distinctive as ever."