Description
Ata Rangi, meaning ‘dawn sky, new beginning’ is owned and managed by a family trio – Clive Paton, his wife Phyll and his sister Alison. In 1980 Clive planted the bare, stony, home paddock at the edge of Martinborough, becoming 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.
Today they are joined by a strong team including winemaker Helen Masters, who in 2019 was awarded New Zealand Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine, as recognition of her 16 years’ work at Ata Rangi.
Having said that, the Ata Rangi winemaking philosophy is a notoriously simple, hands-off, and traditional approach that focuses on finding the true expression of their land, or terroir.
They believe that wines from Martinborough have a real depth of palate with texture and length and focus on these qualities as each harvest approaches. They aim for balance in all their wines, championing winemaking practices such as whole bunch pressing and barrel ageing to ensure that vineyard expression remains the hero.
These Pinot Gris grapes come from the Lismore and Walnut Ridge vineyards, which achieve their optimum flavour profile towards the end of the growing season. As a result, the team harvests this variety fairly late to obtain a wine closer to the richer style of Pinot Gris produced in Alsace, rather than the leaner, bone-dry style of Pinot Grigio common in much of northern Italy. Over the years, Ata Rangi have developed their own, uniquely Martinborough style.
Fruits and baking spices are the focus of this very aromatic wine, with notes of apple strudel with flaky pastry, poached pear, crystallised ginger and marmalade. Succulent fresh acidity maintains the wine’s generosity and complexity on the long finish.