Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2020

“The 2020 Pinot Noir reminds me of walking into a cathedral – that quiet, cool hush that falls as you walk through its doors. This is harmonious, supple, unshowy and unforced. Hailing from old vines and delicately textured despite the abundance of fruit concentration. Refined tannins with the finest of gravelly textures, akin to licking a stone. Scented yet restrained, with a fragrance of sweet red fruit, tea leaf and cedar spices with persistent acidity that carries it. Very complete and already approachable. Drinking window: 2023-2038. 96 points

Ata Rangi is one of New Zealand’s most respected Pinot Noir producers, offering nuance and complexity.The wines always manage balance ripeness of fruit with a delicate hand, extricating fine tannins. Long-time winemaker Helen Masters nails it every year whither the season. Several single vineyard cuvées have come on stream in recent years. The Kotinga, planted on gravel, is a bright, sappy style, while the McCrone, off clay-rich soils, is more robust, full and structured, taking longer to come around. Masters’ Pinot Noir from clay gravels also has a sense of structure and fragrance. The so-called entry-level Crimson provides a well-priced taste of fine Martinborough Pinot Noir.”

Rebecca Gibb, Vinous (04/23)