Ata Rangi `McCrone Vineyard` Pinot Noir 2020

This wine is a bolder style than Ata Rangi's flagship Pinot Noir. On the nose, pronounced and precise aromas of bramble are married with dried flowers, spice and savoury nuances. On the palate, fine chalky tannins bring a supple quality to the wine and a vibrant acidity carries the intense flavours onto the long finish.

This is our single vineyard Pinot Noir from our McCrone Vineyard. Situated 500metres from our home block this site has more clay mixed in the gravels than our other terrace vineyard parcels.

Looking back at the seasonal notes of the 2020 vintage the repeating theme is `typical’. Temperature, rainfall and yields were all we could hope for in an ideal season in Martinborough. It was a pleasure to harvest clean, impeccable fruit that truly expressed each site’s unique character. McCrone vineyard is just around the corner from our home block but here the soils are remarkably different. Whilst the Martinborough Terrace is predominantly alluvial gravels, there is a compact seam of clay which threads its way across a section of the terrace, fanning out over the gravels and creating a cooling effect on the roots in the soil. The McCrone site catches this seam and delivers a distinctively different aroma and flavour profile than that of the Ata Rangi Pinot Noir.

Portions harvest on 12 and 18th March 2020

Planted area 2.5 Hectares, plant density 4,100 plants per hectare. Planted in 2002. Certified Organic.

40% whole bunch with the remainder destemmed, fermentation by indigenous yeasts. Total tank time 15- 23 days. After pressing, complete malolactic ferment in oak. 11 months total in French oak (35% new), then blended and held for further 8 months prior to bottling.

French Oak 25% new for 12moths then another 6 months in tank prior to bottling