2024 — The Wonder of an Exceptional Vintage.
When people talk about a great vintage, it can be tempting to make it sound as though the year simply arrived that way. In truth, a vintage is built slowly — through the conditions of the season, the health and resilience of the vineyards, the timing of each decision, and the care taken once the fruit reaches the winery. All of these things are considerations made, actions taken, long before that ‘perfect’ vintage actually becomes evident.
For Ata Rangi, 2024 was one of those rare years where these elements came together with unusual balance. This journal looks at what made the vintage so significant, and how the land, the vines and the winemaking each played their part in shaping the wines now being released.
THE LAND
When Clive Paton, Phyll Pattie and Ali Paton converted a couple of small sheep paddocks into vineyards in 1980, they were part of a young New Zealand wine industry still finding its shape. Martinborough, too, was only beginning to reveal what it might offer. Its promise lay in the detail: free-draining old river gravels, low rainfall, warm days, cool nights, and a natural restraint in the land. For those willing to look closely, these conditions suggested a place where vines would not grow easily but would grow with purpose — producing fruit with concentration, character and a clear sense of site.
More than four decades later, the 2024 wines offer a compelling reflection of those early decisions. In their structure, texture and expression, we can see how the choice of this land, and the patience required to understand it, continues to shape the wines of Ata Rangi.
THE VINES
Notes from our Viticulturist, Ian Ewart
Ata Rangi vineyards have a complexity of over 70 tiny, hand-picked sections across a range of ages, including heritage blocks up to 46 years old. The 2024 vintage was a delight that allowed our vineyard team to keep on top of our hand tended vines. Using certified organic practices, the keen eyes of the vineyard team meant we optimised the timing of all our tasks to produce the perfect bunches.
THE WINES
Notes from our Winemaker, Helen Masters
Harvest 2024 was a special one. As we watched the fruit move across the sorting table, there was a real sense of excitement and anticipation. The grapes were beautifully clean, with vibrant acidity and ripe, well-developed seeds. From the outset, we knew there was very little for the winemaking team to do other than guide the process and watch the fruit transform into exceptional wines. Across our range of varieties, these wines display a clarity, precision, and purity that are hallmarks of truly great vintages.
“As a winemaker, you dream of a vintage like 2024, where all the elements combine with such rare precision that you can’t help but feel a deep sense of reward and accomplishment and smile while making — and drinking — these wines!”
THE VINTAGE
Commentary from Stephen Wong, Master of Wine
2024 is arguably the finest modern vintage in the [Wairarapa] region: intensely concentrated from the low yields, perfectly ripe yet rarely over-ripe, without the 'warm vintage' character found in other lauded years like 2019, 2014 or 2013. 2024 has some of 2021's finesse and elegance with structures which are – on the whole – sleeker and finer than typical warm years.
THE ICON
Notes from designer illustrator, Stella Masters
Trying to express all of the intricacies of a vintage on paper really is impossible. There’s the weather, the viticulture, and most importantly the people who make Ata Rangi — and each wine — special. 2024 was a vintage where all these unique intricacies truly complemented each other — where they all came together to create texture, depth but equally vital balance. My interpretation of this was to represent those factors as a collection of shards, each one unique and imperfect. The pivotal point is where they overlap, and create a central focus — the sweet spot — that was 2024. It’s stripped back and simple, to let the wines speak for themselves. It’s graphic and raw but fluid and connected, almost celestial as if written in the stars.
THE STORY
Notes from the road and other adventures of a two-seater sofa.
Collectively, the whole Ata Rangi is very proud of this vintage. We wanted a way to share our joy, and invite others to share their favourite wine stories. That’s the great thing about wine, right? It’s social — it brings people together. So, we enlisted a beloved piece of furniture that has been with us for some time — an unassuming but much adored, green velvet sofa that sits in the corner of the Ata Rangi Wine Room. It’s always there - being all accommodating. We took this smooth, little two-seater special on an adventure and invited some friends to sit down for a sip or two from our 2024 vintage and tell us a tale. The result was some very fun Sofa Sessions, Shot on our iPhones, starring some of our favourite wine folk, You can view these on Instagram.
Maciej & Jess at Noble Rot
Helen & Josh at Onslow
John & Pups at Regional Wines