Ata Rangi PINOT NOIR
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- Опубликовано: 22 сен 2023
- I’m Bob Paulinski Master of Wine. Today’s video will cover a top source for one of the world’s great wine grape varieties, Pinot Noir. The focus will be on wines of Ata Rangi from Martinborough, New Zealand. I’ll discuss this benchmark source at two quality levels that offer very different expressions of this grape variety. The wines have solid international distribution through specialty retailers in major markets, but if you can’t find the wines covered here, no worries, I’ll provide other options to search out.
Today’s video is being shot at my home away from home in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The wines for this video were purchased at Tong Woh in Petaling Jaya, just outside of Kuala Lumpur. I love this small store with its highly curated mix that changes often, if you happen to be in this part of the world, it’s a worthwhile stop. Wine shopping here is generally very good with a heavy focus on France, Italy, Australia and South America . That said, New Zealand sees very good representation here as well. Prices tend to be higher than in many places around the world due to the tax rate. As always with my videos, the topics discussed, and the wines shown are selected solely at my discretion.
For starters, a bit about Pinot Noir. For many it’s the source for the greatest wines in the world. I’m in that club, but it’s also the source of some of the greatest wine disappointments that I’ve encountered. Price is certainly a factor when it comes to quality, but with Pinot Noir sometimes a premium price does not mean a premium wine. Selecting well is the difference maker.
It’s a thin-skinned grape variety purplish in color. It grows best in a limited range of places, it’s shows its true potential in cooler regions that helps maintain the aroma and acidity. While Martinborough has a good following, I’ll venture to guess that aside from some wine nerds, many outside of Australasia do not realize the full potential of this region.
Where is Martinborough? It’s the southern end of the North Island, a short distance from the capital, Wellington. It’s a sub region within Wairarapa. It’s an area with an extended growing season, it’s often windy with cool nights that help the wines maintain a freshness and vibrancy. It accounts for only about 2% of the wine produced in NZ, but with a solid export market. It’s routinely a top performer in the New Zealand wine shows.
Ata Rangi
For years, I’ve drank the wines from time to time, but it was only when I lived in Australia and during that time made routine business trips to NZ, I got hooked. Small, family owned, organic viti since 2014. They’ve been around since 1980. This is artisanal winemaking 32 hectares spread over 14 vineyards with a high level of clonal diversity. They produce excellent Chard, Riesling and SB, but they are largely defined by PN. In Moari, Ata Rangi means Dawn Sky or New Beginning.
Martinborough Pinot Noir Wine Suggestions, with approx retail USD,
2019 Ata Rangi Crimson (tasted in this video) $25 to $30
2020 Ata Rangi Crimson $25 to $30
2020 Luna Estate $17
2019 Craggy Range $44
2019 Ata Rangi Estate (tasted in this video) $50
2020 Ata Rangi Estate $50
2019 Dry River $62
2019 Nga Waka $25
2019 Decibel Testify $45
#winetasting #newzealand #pinotnoir #winelife #wset #masterofwine #bobpaulinski #redwine #wine #winelife #tongwoh
I am glad you made a video about Ata Rangi Pinot Noir! This January, I tasted their estate Pinot Noir (half-bottle) for the first time and got so excited that ordered 6 bottles of Estate PN 2020 and a bottle of McCrone 2017. Ata Rangi PN - my absolute favorite among NZ Pinot Noirs I have tasted so far (some runner-ups are single vineyard Escarpment PN, e.g. Kupe). I do think that Ata Rangi Pinot Noir, although not too cheap, has an outstanding quality/price ratio, much higher than that of many (if not most) Burgundy producers.
Ata Rangi and Escarpment, two of the best! I thought about including some single vineyard bottlings, but they are too limited in availability. Burgundy prices are insane and there are too many other good options. Cheers! 🍷
amazingly informative as always, just commenting to help the algorithm
Your comment is very much appreciated. 🍷
I love Martinborough, Ata Rangi is fantastic but a lot of other Martinborough producers too. I miss drinking more Kiwi and Aussie wines when I used to live in SE Asia
Same for me, had great access when I lived in Melbourne. KL is quite good as well.
Martinborough is my favourite PN region outside Burgundy. And, as I have almost certainly bought my last red Burgundy en primeur, NZ and Germany will provide me with any future purchases of this wonderful grape.
Martinborough is near the top of my list as well. For me, Australia is doing some nice work as well with Mornington, Adelaide Hills and Tasmania. I’ve had a few from Germany, need to try more.
Pinot Noir also like continental climates and is why Burgundy and Central Otago can grow it well. Never had one from Martinborough and I will have to try some.
Martinborough is quite cool, but not with excessive rain. 🍷
Nice video! I’ve had a couple from Martinborough, last one was a Craggy Range. Much better on my wallet too than many from central otago. I’ll look for the Ata Rangi! Cheers.
Thank you! I’m a big fan of Craggy Range. For me, many Central Otago are to pricy. As you stated, Martinborough is much better value. Cheers! 🍷
Great video! Very informative.
Thank you Peg! 🍷
Big fan of NZ pinot, have enjoyed things from Martinborough, Marlborough and Cental Otago.
Would you say Martinborough tends to be a more elegant style as compared to Central Otago? Where would you say Marlborough fits in stylistically in terms of NZ pinot?
Also suprised to hear Malaysia has a lot of BYOB, wish we had a bit more of that in the UK!
Great video, cheers!
Thank you for the good word. The style is softer than Central Otago. The acidity tends to be a bit lower as well. The BYOB is nice, but in places with no wine license, there is no wine stemware.
I drank a bottle of 2020 Crimson last week (albeit with a different label), I found it had an overly astringent bitterness which was strange to me. Ata Rangi's estate wine is one of my favourite NZ Pinots though, I've got some 2017 sleeping in the fridge.
Interesting fact - their original vines were propagated from the 'Abel' clone which was brought into NZ Customs illegally inside a gumboot from France and was a cutting from DRC. Abel was the name of the customs officer who allowed the vine in.
With the ‘19, I didn’t get any bitterness, but I did like it more with a slight chill. Good story on the clone! Cheers. 🍷
Great video. Pinot is one wine I've not made any effort to learn. The variability and the price point make it difficult to develop a sense of what a Pinot should be. Could you perhaps do a tour of Pinots, those you consider worth drinking? I would be interested to learn by following your recommendations so I can better understand what I should look for. Incidentally, I made otak-otak here in the States for the first time. I don't know if you've ever tried it, but it is one of my favorite nyonya dishes. The fragance of steamed otak is to die for. Enjoy your stay in M'sia.
Thank you for the good word. I’m looking to put together a Pinot Noir of the world video. And yes, Pinot Noir is tough to shop. As for otak-otak, love it!
great vid, would love to see more NZ wines
Thank you. I’m glad to see more small artisanal wineries on the export markets.
1:40 Snapple fact 🍷💪🏻
Not sure what that means, but I’ll take your word on it! 😂
Great video as always, Bob. Love the Peking duck / pinot noir pairing, can’t wait to try it. I looked for Ata Rangi, found a 2018 estate bottle for $60. Is that ok price?
Thanks as always. The pairing was incredible, even with the glassware being poor. $60 is what is should be.
Appreciate the insight, as always! Pinot is intimidating to a novice/intermediate like me. I love the few 1er Cru Burgundies I’ve had in my life, but I’m essentially priced out of those now. I’ve had some misses on NZ Pinot, so I think the most useful tip here is to just give up on the entry options. The most expensive wine is the one you put down the drain, so I’m saving no money searching for a bargain on this grape.
Thanks for commenting. Pinot Noir is not easy to shop for. At the low end, the chance of finding a gem is slim to none. From Martinborough, very good wines can be found for around $25. Do your homework before shopping for Pinot Noir! Cheers. 🍷
I bought a few bottles of Ata Rangi recently, I'll have to wait a little while I think. Love Martinborough. I had a Bream Creek pinot from Tasmania last night, very good pinot although I'm not an expert on pinot.
Good timing, aligning with your purchase. I’m a fan of Tassie as well, but they tend to be a bit pricey. 🍷
@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine This was $40 AUD, the reserve is $60 AUD but I haven't tried it. Australian wine can be pretty pricey though :)
@@seanmaguire9950 Yes, pricing can have a wide spread.
Another excellent video. You've convinced me that I need to try more NZ pinot noirs as they are readily available here in SoCal. I find the less expensive ones from other regions are improving greatly having gone from bad to well made but perhaps a little boring. Still, like nearly all wines Pinot and wines in general keep getting better each decade. Not many wines still around like Blue Nun or Riunite or Lancers (but I still like the bottle design!).
Thanks for the good word. Martinborough is well worth searching out. In many cases they represent sound value. I also like that most are not overdone with oak. As for old wine brands, Blue Nun as made a strong comeback. Retro is in! Cheers. 🍷
Just noted K&L is offering 2018 Ata Rangi Estate PN for $39
I can never make K&L a quick stop. Love walking the entire store. Fair price for the 2018.
I too stand on the ground of Pinot Noir being the queen of red grapes. Really hard to find in the more international style where I live. I've tried a few examples from Spain, and they were truly abominations. I try to taste Burgundy when I can, and incidentally next weekend I'm going to a blind tasting of Italian Pinots!
BTW my first Pinot ever was horridly infected with brett. It took me a while to dissociate that awful experience with the grape. I had never smelled brett and I had never tasted Pinot before, but I knew right away that something was not ok.
I agree, Spain and Pinot Noir, not a good combo. Italian Pinots should be fun, there’s a good number of gems. In a blind tasting, Italian Pinots would be very difficult. As for the association with brett, that would be difficult to clear from one’s mind. Cheers!
I have a question for you..
I live in Houston and have family in San Antonio and have drove between the two towns for 30 years.
about 100 miles outside of Houston you enter the 'Texas hill country'.. Now that i am into wine and reading about it,I see that area has quite a few wineries..
When i think of wine in America my mind goes to the west coast..
My questions are thus,
A- Have you ever tried any wine from the Texas hill country?If yes,thoughts?
B-What are your thoughts on the terroir of the area?
C-what are some other areas of the U.S. that are producing wine outside of the standard thought about areas?
I’ve had some wines from TX. Over the years. I’ve often judged the Texsom wine competition in Dallas. It seems like someone always has TX wines to taste at the dinners. The wines that I’ve tried mostly have warm climate characteristics, raised alcohol, sometimes flat acidity. When the growing season is short but warm, there is adequate sugar levels in the fruit, but there is a lack of phenolic maturity. My sample size is not large, but that’s my limited impression. As for states that surprise me, Idaho and Virginia can produce some nice wines. Of course, NY has a long history, Finger Lakes are generally very good.
@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine interesting,thank you.
We have several bottles of the 2014 vintage. What would you suggest for a meal? We’ve had lamb with it it simply grilled and wonderful.
Very nice! With top notch wine, I prefer simply prepared dishes. My fave with Pinot Noir is duck. The acidity in the works very well.
Excellent, Bob. We'll look out for Martinborough Pinot. Would you say the second wine had more extraction? And would you happen to know what oak they use? And it just happen that I have duck breast in my pantry.😊
The Ata Rangi wines in the can be found from K&L wine. The others, you’ll need a good specialty store. The second wine in the video definitely has more extraction. It’s French oak. Nice, you’re ready with the duck! 🍷
@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine thanks, Bob. And I noticed your new backdrop. looks nice.
@@dmitrivassiliev15 The video was shot where I stay in Kuala Lumpur. That background will show up from time to time as I’m in KL several times per year.
@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine I figured you are on the road. You did mention KL but I thought it was one of your past travels. Anyway, I checked the major wine store in Manhattan and in the tri-state area and the lowest price for Martinborough Pinot Noir is $35 for Palliser estate. Generally, NZ PN is underrepresented in our area. Good travels, Bob. Cheers.
How would you compare Martinborough Pinot to pinot from other regions in New Zealand?
I don’t see a vast difference, both there are a few worth noting. Generally, Martinborough has older vines, than Central Otago. The former often show more depth and weight, Central Otago more red fruit notes. The acidity levels will vary by vintage. Marlborough PN tends to have less concentration and complexity.
None of these wines is available here in central Indiana: the problem I have with most RUclips wine gurus.
Ata Rangi is available through K&L. They ship to most states.
@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine Thanks but, according to their website, they ship to only eight states, Indiana not being one of them.
@@George-jm4rn I have seen Martinborough wines in Costco, that might be an option as well.
@@George-jm4rn If you find any in Costco, I’m glad with providing details about the wines.
@@bobpaulinskimasterofwine Thanks for your offer. Unfortunately, our Costco doesn't have any NZ pinot noirs; in fact, it carries hardly any NZ wines. Our Total Wine carries some NZ pinots (Cloudy Bay, Villa Maria Taylor's Pass, King Maui, Greywachee, Palliser, FernRidge, Framingham, and Rabbit Ranch).