Crimson — a wine with roots.
Crimson Pinot Noir began with a simple idea: to create a wine that could do good. Born from the same Martinborough soils as our flagship Pinot Noir, Crimson has always carried more than flavour in its bottle, it’s carried purpose.
From its very first vintage, Crimson has supported the work of Project Crimson, a trust dedicated to protecting and restoring New Zealand’s beloved Rātā and Pōhutukawa trees. These trees are part of the cultural and botanical identity of Aotearoa — resilient, wild and breathtaking in bloom. Much like Pinot Noir vitis vinifera, they thrive only in the right conditions and reward care with something deeply beautiful and transcend generations when nurtured.
What began as a youthful expression of Ata Rangi Pinot Noir has since grown into a wine of its own character. Over the years Crimson has evolved, mirroring the increasing maturity of our younger vines. What was once light and fruit-forward now carries greater depth, a silky palate and a refined edge, still wonderfully vibrant but with more to say. It’s a wine that continues to honour the legacy of indigenous forest conservation while standing proudly in the present as a complete and compelling Pinot in its own right.
With each bottle, you’re not just drinking the story of a vintage — you're part of a decades-long journey: one that started with trees and takes root in every bottle you open and every glass you pour.
CELEBRATING A NEW RELEASE
In the world of wine, a “new release” is more than just a product launch, it’s the culmination of a year’s worth of decisions, weather, patience and instinct. Unlike most beverages, wine is vintage-specific. That means each bottle captures the flavour, feel and spirit of a particular growing season.
From nurturing the soils of the vineyard, to pruning the vines and picking the fruit, from fermentation to barrel ageing, every step is deliberate — guided by experience and a deep respect for what nature offers. When we release a new vintage, we’re opening a time capsule: revealing how the season shaped the fruit, how the winemaking guided it and what stories it has to tell.
There’s no other drink quite like wine. There are few other beverages where the annual release carries this much place, weather, care and time. (although it has to be said that a maestra mezcalera shares a winemaker’s patience!) But this is why each new release, whether it’s our Crimson or one of our older-vine wines, marks a meaningful moment for our team — and we wish for those of you who pour it and enjoy it too.
Introducing Ata Rangi Crimson 2024
Pour yourself a glass of Ata Rangi, put the headphones on and join Winemaker Helen Masters in the Ata Rangi Wine Room, as she tastes and talks about the process of making and the attributes found in our new release — the Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir 2024.
