WTN: 2004 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir (NZ)

2004 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir (Martinborough)
Quite a nice surprise. Inticing nose. Oregon like. Toasty and earthy mixed with raspberries and spice. I like that. The attack and mid palate are very nice with plenty of acid to hold it together. The finish dies off but it is not unpleasant. The texture is slightly oily. Not a ton of structure or complexity but I think 12 months will round it out. Probably should be consumed over the next 5 years. Under screw cap. 91 pts.

Jason

2004 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir (Martinborough)
Quite a nice surprise. Inticing nose. Oregon like. Toasty and earthy mixed with raspberries and spice. I like that. The attack and mid palate are very nice with plenty of acid to hold it together. The finish dies off but it is not unpleasant. The texture is slightly oily. Not a ton of structure or complexity but I think 12 months will round it out. Probably should be consumed over the next 5 years. Under screw cap. 91 pts.

Jason

Toast, earth, raspberries and spice ... YUM. However, I wonder how this wine could have plenty of acid AND a slightly oily texture. I usually associate slight oily texture with low-acid wines. Can someone explain this?

-- Clark

2004 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir (Martinborough)
Quite a nice surprise. Inticing nose. Oregon like. Toasty and earthy mixed with raspberries and spice. I like that. The attack and mid palate are very nice with plenty of acid to hold it together. The finish dies off but it is not unpleasant. The texture is slightly oily. Not a ton of structure or complexity but I think 12 months will round it out. Probably should be consumed over the next 5 years. Under screw cap. 91 pts.

Jason

Toast, earth, raspberries and spice ... YUM. However, I wonder how this wine could have plenty of acid AND a slightly oily texture. I usually associate slight oily texture with low-acid wines. Can someone explain this?

-- Clark

Pinosity, Clark. Pinosity!

Toast, earth, raspberries and spice ... YUM. However, I wonder how this wine could have plenty of acid AND a slightly oily texture. I usually associate slight oily texture with low-acid wines. Can someone explain this?

-- Clark

Hmmm...I think we have had this conversation before.

I am not sure I would associate oily texture with low acid or at least what I would call a flabby wine. Many young Burgundies show this quality to me. To be clear...this was a subtle quality and not prominent. I doubt many people would notice it. The wine was far from flabby. Very nice sweet acid. Not tart acid but sweet acid. But the wine was not candied. It worked well. For the price...I might go elsewhere but...the quality was still there.

Jason

I have not tasted the 2004 yet. Here in Oregon we just are moving into the 2005. The NZ Winegrowers are having a trade tasting next Tuesday in Seattle and the 2005 Ata Rangi will be there for tasting, as will about 90 other NZ wines. I am going up by train. It looks to be a great venue.
I will have lots more to report back afterwards.

I look forward to your notes.

I have not tasted the 2004 yet. Here in Oregon we just are moving into the 2005. The NZ Winegrowers are having a trade tasting next Tuesday in Seattle and the 2005 Ata Rangi will be there for tasting, as will about 90 other NZ wines. I am going up by train. It looks to be a great venue.
I will have lots more to report back afterwards.

I too look forward to your notes. It is my understanding that 05 is a better vintage but I think Ata Rangi did a fine job with the 04. Hopefully you make some new discoveries you can share with us!

Jason

I was in New Zealand last june for 2 weeks and I did visit Ata Rangi. I have so tasted the 01, 02, and 03. For my taste I consider them to be in the top Pinot producers for all of New Zealand. I just love the earthy tones I get from Martinborough Pinots. I have been selling their wines here in Oregon starting with the 2001.

I have not tasted the 2004 yet. Here in Oregon we just are moving into the 2005. The NZ Winegrowers are having a trade tasting next Tuesday in Seattle and the 2005 Ata Rangi will be there for tasting, as will about 90 other NZ wines. I am going up by train. It looks to be a great venue.
I will have lots more to report back afterwards.

I too look forward to your notes. It is my understanding that 05 is a better vintage but I think Ata Rangi did a fine job with the 04. Hopefully you make some new discoveries you can share with us!

Jason

2005 is better, Jason, mind you Ata Rangi does a fine job each vintage, that is why they are one of NZ's leading pinot noir producers.
2005 was a big meaty wine, a complex fascinating wine, savoury, gamey, dry and silky with depth of fruit. When I tasted it last November it definitely needed more time but it will be one of the wines that lasts the distance.
2004 was a difficult season. Looking back at my notes, I see I wrote it was more abundantly cherry and also herbal (more of an Otago trait) and while it still had the concentration and depth, it was a departure from the usual Ata Rangi style. I noted the acid too.

Cheers,
Sue

I am not sure I would associate oily texture with low acid or at least what I would call a flabby wine. Many young Burgundies show this quality to me. To be clear...this was a subtle quality and not prominent. I doubt many people would notice it. The wine was far from flabby. Very nice sweet acid. Not tart acid but sweet acid. But the wine was not candied. It worked well. For the price...I might go elsewhere but...the quality was still there.
Jason

Thanks for the follow-up note. I will make it a point to look for this when I taste Pinot Noir in the future.

-- Clark

Thanks for all the info. I think I am going to focus on Martinborough for my NZ tastings over the next year.

Jason

[Jenise]

I was in New Zealand last june for 2 weeks and I did visit Ata Rangi. I have so tasted the 01, 02, and 03. For my taste I consider them to be in the top Pinot producers for all of New Zealand. I just love the earthy tones I get from Martinborough Pinots. I have been selling their wines here in Oregon starting with the 2001.

So pinots from elsewhere than Oregon sell well in Oregon? I understand the curiosity factor, but it would make just as much sense that Oregonians would eschew all but their own.

So pinots from elsewhere than Oregon sell well in Oregon? I understand the curiosity factor, but it would make just as much sense that Oregonians would eschew all but their own.

It's aggressive marketing, Jenise. Our local wine shop owner recently told me that the distributors/importers are pushing NZ Pinot's very heavily. Furthermore, the OR Pinot folks are being quite passive. They apparently seem content to sit back, rest on their laurels, raise prices again, and collect orders.

-- Clark

Here is my perspective on the Oregon Pinot market. We now have over 450 different labels in Oregon. Many produce less than 1000 cases. I would say that about 20% are very good quality and fairly priced. We also have many that are OK quality but see other people get high prices. For my taste there are many over-extracted Pinots that do not have enough fruit to balance all this extraction. Realistically, they start at between $15-20. I look for the best Pinot at the best price, regardless of its origin. I love selling our local Pinots but pricing can be a problem. The only $10 Pinot I have been able to find happens to be out of NZ. It is called Greenstone Point and is now 2006. To me it is a great example
of what Pinot should smell and taste like. Anything else I have tasted recently does not because they probably blend in Cab or Syrah.

[Jenise]

I love selling our local Pinots but pricing can be a problem.

I had a feeling that's what you'd say, Michael. The Kiwis definitely have Oregon beat in the 'affordable' range. I was wondering if that put any pressure on the locals, but from yours and Clark's responses, apparently not!

Our 2006 vintage was up 35-40% over the largest harvest ever. Much of the quality will be very good but that is still a lot of wine if you are not selling any out of state.

[James Roscoe]

I think Oregon growers feel they are competing with Burgundy and not New Zealand. That strategy is going to bite them where it really hurts. I love the affordable pinots coming out of the islands these days. Our wine group is doing Southern Hemisphere reds in April an I am definitely pulling a NZ pinot for my contribution. I also won't need a back-up because of the screw tops!