Thoughts on Pinot Noir Day

We were delighted to see a lovely article from Bob Campbell about our Ata Rangi Pinot Noir recently. You probably know that Pinot Noir is the varietal we’ve been hanging our hat on since Clive Paton first planted the vineyard more than 40 years ago, so it’s nice to see all those years of hard work recognised, particularly on International Pinot Noir Day.

“There are four sorts of wine drinkers. Those who have never heard of Ata Rangi Pinot Noir; those who have heard of Ata Rangi Pinot Noir but haven’t tasted it; those who have tasted Ata Rangi Pinot Noir but don’t buy it every year and those who (like me) buy it every year.”
— Bob Campbell

The article had some interesting insights into the pricing of our wine compared to its value. You can read the full article here >

It’s true that the Ata Rangi Pinot Noir is a handmade and labour intensive wine to produce. In our chief winemaker Helen’s opinion, there are three things that make it particularly special.

— Our place and the unique conditions it brings to our winemaking. We see wines from Martinborough as having real depth of palate with texture and length.
— Old vines. Our original vines are now approaching 40 years of age and are a major factor in the quality and consistency of our wines from year to year.
— Many hands. Our dedicated vineyard team do all the hard work by hand, from pruning in winter to harvest in autumn.

Place, time, people. That’s it. That’s the secret recipe.