2019 McCrone Vineyard Pinot Noir, Ata Rangi

• Style: Savoury, perfumed, cool-climate Pinot Noir
• Taste: Violet florals, ripe raspberry, iron-ore minerality, silky tannins
• Food: Roast dinners, mushroom & truffle, pasta & risotto, poultry, cured meats
• Occasion: Gifting, cellar worthy
• Serve: 13.5% ABV, drink now or age 10+ years

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

An arresting floral frame of violets and rose petal lifts above black cherry and spice, with a broad, juicy palate where raspberry and herbal snap cut through plush, vibrant tannins. This cool-climate wine marries prettiness with muscle: restrained power, floral perfume, and a mineral backbone of iron ore anchor the fruit. At 13.5% ABV, the acidity prevents any sense of overripeness, delivering a wine with real weight and presence that drinks with confidence now yet will age gracefully for the next decade or more.

The Winery — Ata Rangi

Established in 1980 by Clive Paton, one of Martinborough's pioneering voices, Ata Rangi is now a family partnership with winemaker Helen Masters. The estate has earned New Zealand's 'Grand Cru' distinction for its Pinot Noir. The McCrone Vineyard sits on Martinborough's stony Terrace, where a buried clay seam—just 80cm thick—acts as both reservoir and coolant, slowing vine metabolism and forcing concentration into smaller berries with thicker skins. The 2019 vintage was hand-picked and given four to six days of pre-fermentation rest, with 40% kept whole-bunch to preserve defining florals. Fermentation with wild yeasts reached 32°C over three weeks; the wine then matured 11 months in French oak (one-quarter new), allowing the oak to frame rather than dominate the fruit.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

This wine pairs beautifully with roasted chicken with herbs, braised beef, mature goat's cheese, and all manner of Martinborough's classic companions—mushroom & truffle dishes, pasta & risotto, and cured meats & charcuterie. It is equally rewarding as a considered glass on its own. A wine of real structure and unmistakable refinement, it deserves a place in your cellar and makes a thoughtful gift for the serious wine enthusiast. Explore our full Pinot Noir selection and discover what makes New Zealand's cool regions so compelling. Vegetarian and vegan-friendly.