Selected for the Fine Wines of New Zealand List
Top New Zealand Wine of 2022 – JamesSuckling.com
Matthew Jukes
"This stunning estate makes the most revered Pinot Noir in New Zealand."
Lisa Perotti-Brown MW
"…the long-serving, dedicated team behind Ata Rangi just go from strength to strength. Their Pinots have always been great and yet, even in a world where the Pinot benchmark gets higher every year, Ata Rangi is better than ever."
Yvonne Lorkin
"You’d be hard-pressed to find a list of ‘Best NZ Pinot Noir’ that does not feature Ata Rangi at the top of the list."
Winery notes (2020 Vintage)
"Looking back at the seasonal notes of the 2020 vintage the repeating theme is `typical’. Temperature, rainfall and yields were all we could hope for in an ideal season in Martinborough. It was a pleasure to harvest clean, impeccable fruit that had a clear, calm voice of the region and vintage. Made from only our oldest pinot noir plantings on the Martinborough Terrace, this wine is the best of six small vineyards all within 500 m of our winery. The result is a complex, elegant wine, beautifully perfumed in the classic Ata Rangi style.
A full fragrant nose of juniper, cranberry and red plum meld with spice and herbal notes of cardamon, pink peppercorn and dried oregano. Bright and supple on entry, with finely coating tannins that extend the full length of the palate. This release exudes confidence and poise and is the perfect touchstone for our single vineyard releases."
5 Stars, 98/100 & Number 1 Rated Martinborough Pinot Noir of 2020, Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review (2019 Vintage)
"Concentrated, complex pinot noir with cassis, blackberry, dark cherry, violet, wood smoke and savoury/dried herb flavours. Accessible now but with a proven history of ageing gracefully. Elegant wine with impressive power"
98/100 & Top New Zealand Wine of 2022, JamesSuckling.com (2020 Vintage)
"Our top New Zealand wine of 2022 is the Ata Rangi Pinot Noir Martinborough 2020. It is textural, deep and seamlessly balanced, as well as supremely perfumed and vibrant. Made from the estate’s oldest parcels planted 42 years ago, it demonstrates the power of pinot noir coming out of Martinborough.
A beautiful nose of sliced strawberries, crushed cherries, violets, grated nutmeg and a hint of white pepper. Some hibiscus, too. Supremely vibrant and perfumed with fine tannins that run the length of the medium-bodied palate. Textural. Ground spice and fresh fruit are intertwined, providing wonderful depth and complexity. So long as well. Seamless balance. Superb. Sustainable. Drink or hold. Screw cap."
95/100 Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast (2020 Vintage)
"This is a classic expression of this renowned winery's estate vines, now over 40 years old, on alluvial gravels. It opens with a rich bouquet of heady spices, dried florals, cherry cola and cinnamon bark, and there's some vanillin oak influence, too. There's density and concentration to the palate. It walks a tightrope of power and elegance, with chiseled, distinctly textured tannins and finely tuned oak. Drink now with protein and until 2033, at least."
94/100 Mike Bennie, The Wine Front, October 2022 (2020 Vintage)
"Bold, full and concentrated style, albeit finds structure and levity from frisky acidity and fine, lacy tannin profile. Richness and density in perfume from hello. Dark cherry, mocha notes, liquorice, sweet tobacco and white pepper. Palate and bouquet in synch on characters. Feels fine, trim, a little tough but pulled very long. Great expression."