Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir Martinborough 2020

Description

Ata Rangi is owned and run by Clive Paton and his wife Phyll, together with Clive's sister Alison and winemaker Helen Masters. Clive planted the bare, stony, home paddock at the edge of Martinborough in 1980, in doing so, he was one of a handful of people who pioneered grape growing in the area. Ata Rangi's first vineyard covered less than five hectares on deep, free-draining alluvial gravels, the original course of a local river which flows from the hills that flank the eastern side of the valley. In 2012, Clive, who is also an avid conservationist, was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his contribution to both viticulture and conservation in New Zealand. In January 2019, Helen was awarded 2019 New Zealand Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine, a superb recognition of her 16 years’ work at Ata Rangi. Ata Rangi is renowned for its Pinot Noir and is widely regarded as New Zealand's top Pinot Noir producer. They have been awarded Five Stars in the '2013 Great New Zealand Pinot Noir Classification' by Matthew Jukes and Tyson Stelzer for the gold medal standard of their recent vintages. The oldest Pinot Noir vines, which include a clone allegedly smuggled from Burgundy, were planted in 1980.