2022 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir

98 pts
One of NZ's most famous and collectable Pinot Noirs. A benchmark for the Martinborough region.
5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
4 Reviews

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Sale price$115.00
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Description

Ata Rangi has long stood at the very top of New Zealand Pinot Noir, its name synonymous with Martinborough’s stony soils and the powerful, cellar-worthy wines they produce. Founded in 1980 by Clive Paton on a humble sheep paddock, the estate has grown into one of the world’s great Pinot benchmarks, without ever losing its small-family ethos.

The 2022 release shows exactly why Ata Rangi is held in such esteem. It’s made from the estate’s oldest vines on the Martinborough Terrace, including a large proportion of the Abel clone – the so-called “Gumboot” Pinot that’s become part of New Zealand wine folklore. The season brought its challenges, but careful handwork and strict selection meant only pristine fruit made it into the fermenters.

In the glass, the wine is as perfumed and complex as ever: spice-laden notes of clove, cardamom and pink peppercorn over red fruits, rosehip and grilled strawberry. The palate brings that classic Ata Rangi poise – silky, layered, savoury, with fine tannins threading everything together. It finishes long and precise, promising both immediate charm and decades of graceful evolution.

A landmark 2022 release from one of New Zealand’s most important producers.

98 points
"Stunning and captivating, the wine shows dark berry, warm spice, porcini, and toasted almond characters with an elegant floral overtone. The palate is equally enticing with outstanding concentration and depth, combined with silky flow and beautifully infused fine tannins, making it wonderfully structured with finesse and sophistication. Gorgeously proportioned and harmonious with a sustained, graceful finish."
- Sam Kim (Wine Orbit)

James Suckling

James Suckling

James Suckling 94 Points

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. Drink or hold.

Erin Larkin

Erin Larkin

The Wine Advocate 94 Points

The 2022 Pinot Noir is lighter than the 2020 and softer than the 2021. In 2022, the decision was made not to release any single-vineyard wines "because they didn't express the character that we were hoping for in that vintage," says Winemaker Helen Masters. On the nose, there's white strawberry, cherry, pomegranate pearls and even a hint of raspberry leaf. In the mouth, the wine is pink peppercorn, open and yet compact, open-weave without being loose. There's clarity. It's lovely. The best fruit from the three single vineyards and the older estate vineyards make up this wine, yet the overall volume of the Ata Rangi Pinot Noir remains the same. Interesting to note that in 2023, there was no Ata Rangi 2023 made; all of the fruit flowed to the Crimson cuvée, the first time in the estate's 39 years.

Stephen Wong MW

Stephen Wong MW

The Real Review 96 Points

Beautifully detailed, dark red fruit sits amidst layers of highly complex, earthy savouriness. This mid-weight pinot is exquisitely balanced with a dynamic interplay of air-dried strawberries, oriental spice bazaar, exotic tropical fruit and medicinal herbs across its elegant, intricate palate. Finely etched acidity and sleek tannins provide tension and a persistent grip which draws attention to its remarkable length. Gentle waves of flavour reprise across the palate, displaying finesse, clarity and precision without being clinical. Not a blockbuster by any means and though approachable now, it will gracefully age in the long term by virtue of its balance and elegance.

Sam Kim

Sam Kim

Wine Orbit 98 Points

Stunning and captivating, the wine shows dark berry, warm spice, porcini, and toasted almond characters with an elegant floral overtone. The palate is equally enticing with outstanding concentration and depth, combined with silky flow and beautifully infused fine tannins, making it wonderfully structured with finesse and sophistication. Gorgeously proportioned and harmonious with a sustained, graceful finish. At its best: 2027 to 2042

Cam Douglas MS

Cam Douglas MS

Cam Douglas MS 95 Points

The bouquet is an immediate signature of the Wairarapa, Martinborough and Ata Rangi. Scents of clay and stony brown soils layered between scents of dark red berry scents and barrel spices, fine lees and complexity that can only come from vine age, barrel selection and attention to detail winemaking. Flavours of drying strawberries and cherry flesh, savoury spice layers of clove and vanilla then an abundance of texture from fine polished tannins and acid line that coats the palate with flavour and complexity. A delicious wine to melt your palate into.

Customer Reviews

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 4 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 4 Total 4 star reviews: 0 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
4 reviews
  • NA
    Nick A.
    Verified Buyer
    4 minutes ago
    Reviewing
    2022 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Great Pinot

    Easily one of the top Piniots from NZ, it's the structure and savoury edge that set this wine apart from so many new world Pinot Noirs, superb wine

  • DW
    Derek W.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Beginner
    2 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Beginner
    Reviewing
    2020 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    2019 Drop

    Great drop

  • AR
    ADAM R.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Cork Dork
    3 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Cork Dork
    Reviewing
    2020 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    At the top of NZ Pinots

    Always a fantastic Pinot, the 2019 is at the very top of all Ata Rangi Pinots I have tasted.

The season started well with no real frost damage and good canopy growth. Warm weather in October and November resulted in a good solid flowering. With low bunch good flowering was opportune. January was dry and very warm. Veraison started well around the 24th of January but stalled with the rain and cool weather that hit early February and continued throughout the month. Earlier ripening clones such as clone 5 and the Dijon selections were more adversely affected than our stalwart Abel.

Hand picking was slow and meticulous to ensure only the best fruit made it across the sorting table, the addition of the new Pellenc Destemmer meant that the fruit that made it to fermenter was in mint condition.

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type Red
Body Light Bodied
Variety Pinot Noir
Country New Zealand
Region Martinborough
Feature High Score
Women in Wine
Iconic
Reviewed By The Real Review
James Suckling
Halliday Wine Companion
Wine Pilot
The Wine Advocate
Critic Score 97
Size 750ml
Vintage 2022
Closure Screw Cap

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