Tasting: Ata Rangi - A Tasting of Martinborough Pinot Noir

In Māori, Ata Rangi means "dawn sky", or "new beginning", and few names have proved more fitting. When Clive Paton planted his first vines on the stony Martinborough terraces in 1980, he was staking a claim on bare paddock at the very edge of what New Zealand believed possible for Pinot Noir. Four decades on, Ata Rangi stands among the country's most revered estates, and its Pinot is regarded as a national benchmark. The estate sits on the free-draining alluvial gravels of the Martinborough Terrace, in the Wairarapa at the southern tip of the North Island. It is a cool, dry, windswept site, and that hard-won ripeness is exactly what gives the wines their tension and depth. Low yields, old vines, and meticulous hand-work in both vineyard and cellar are the house signature. The range moves from the bright, approachable Crimson Pinot Noir, named for the estate's role in the Project Crimson conservation of New Zealand's native rātā and pōhutukawa trees, up to the flagship Ata Rangi Pinot Noir and the three single-vineyard expressions, Kotinga, Masters and McCrone, each a study in how site shapes character. Across the range you can expect perfumed dark cherry and wild herb, silken texture, fine tannin and a savoury, structured finish built to age. Tasting Line-Up:* 2020 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2021 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2022 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2024 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2020 Ata Rangi Kotinga Pinot Noir 2021 Ata Rangi Kotinga Pinot Noir 2020 Ata Rangi Masters Pinot Noir 2021 Ata Rangi Masters Pinot Noir 2020 Ata Rangi McCrone Pinot Noir 2019 Ata Rangi McCrone Pinot Noir When: Thursday 17th of September Where: Melbourne Wine School Inspire9 Level 1/41-43 Stewart Street Richmond 3121 Cost: $148.00 Time: 6:30pm - 8:30 (Circa 1.5/2 hours) *Indicative list only. Tasting Samples subject to availability and may change.