Crimson Pinot Noir

Dishes with a touch of spice such as crispy duck pancakes, grilled quail, pulled or char siu pork.

Another excellent vintage to follow 2013, the season was characterised by an unusually warm, settled spring. This trend continued through flowering and on into January. February and March were thankfully cooler than usual, stretching out the season and preserving aromatics as the evenly-formed bunches steadily ripened. Interestingly, accumulated Growing Degree Days of 1170 (a measure of heat across the growing season) leading into this harvest were, in the end, almost identical to those for the fabled 2013.

11 months total in French oak (35% new).

25% whole bunch with the remainder destemmed. Tanks held cool for 5 to 6 days before fermentation by indigenous yeasts. Peak ferment temp 32oC, all ferments handplunged. Total tank time 20 - 26 days. After pressing, complete malolactic ferment in oak.

Ata Rangi meaning “dawn sky” or “new beginning” is a small New Zealand winery with a renowned reputation for Pinot Noir. Located at the southern end of the North Island in the village of Martinborough it is owned and managed by a family trio – Clive Paton his wife Phyll and his sister Alison. Clive planted his first vines on a small stony sheep paddock at the edge of the Martinborough village in 1980 as one of a handful of people who pioneered winegrowing in the area. Ata Rangi Pinot Noir is undoubtedly the flagship wine and in 2010 was honoured with the inaugural Tipuranga Teitei o Aotearoa or “Grand Cru of New Zealand”. With a skilled team in place including dynamic winemaker Helen Masters Clive now has more time to focus on his commitment to conservation and to the Ata Rangi alliance with Project Crimson.