Ata Rangi McCrone Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018

Reviews

Gourmet Traveller Wine: 97/100.  Beautifully aromatic with fresh red berry fruit and floral dried petal notes. The palate is a little reticent at first, but with time, reveals concentrated flavours wrapped up in exquisite, finely grained and carefully judged tannins. Terrific drive and length.

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit: 96/100.  Sophisticated and gorgeously complex, the wine shows dark cherry, dried herb, warm mushroom, almond and game nuances on the nose, leading to a refined palate offering excellent focus and flow. It's finely textured with grainy tannins, offering superb structure and length. At its best: now to 2035.

Cameron Douglas MS: 95/100.  Intense, mineral and fruit core wrapped in a savoury dried herb frame. Aromas of spiced plum and dark cherry, sage dried herb and a silty mineral scent. Youthful, complex and intriguing. On the palate - delicious, firm, textured, youthful. Flavours mirror the bouquet with a foundation of firm tannins and acidity cushioned by fruit and earthy mineral flavours. Overall a lovely with a long finish, but needing cellar time to melt together and develop synergies. Best drinking from 2023 through 2033+.

Tasting Note

A very aromatic vintage, the 2018 has a wonderful mix of violets, red cherry and more spicey elements of fennel seed and rosemary. The palate is bright and energetic with red fruit flavours filling out the mid palate, the finish is long and uplifting. This is an elegant and finely structured McCrone Pinot Noir.

Aromas and flavours:

Additional information

Type: red wine

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Alcohol: 13% vol

Residual sugar: <1 g/l

Bottle size: 0.75l

Food match: Match with duck, pork, beef and lamb dishes

Notice: contains sulfite

Vineyard: McCrone Vineyard, Martinborough, New Zealand. Ata Rangi's McCrone Vineyard was planted in 2001 using a mix of clones that have become part of the Ata Rangi fabric: Abel or 'Gumboot' clone, Dijon selections (115 and 777) and Clone 5. Although just around the corner from our home block, the soils are remarkably different. Whilst the Martinborough Terrace is predominantly alluvial gravels, there is a compact seam of clay which threads its way across a section of the terrace, fanning out over the gravels and creating a cooling effect on the roots in the soil. The McCrone site catches this seam and delivers a distinctively different aroma and flavour profile than that of the Ata Rangi Pinot Noir.

Winemaking: 4 to 6 days pre-fermentation maceration. With 40% whole bunch. Peak temp 31°C. Up to 21 days until pressing. Malolactic fermentation in barrel. 11months in French oak barriques (25% new oak).

Cellaring potential: 2030+

Closure: Screwcap

Serving: Serve Pinot Noir at 16 - 18°C, that is slightly cooler than a typical room temperature, to best enjoy the layers of aroma and flavour as the wine slowly warms in the glass. Decanting an hour or so before serving is worthwhile, especially for young and/or more structured wines.

Produced and bottled: Ata Rangi Vineyard, PO Box 43, Martinborough 5741, New Zealand