Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir 2007

Crimson 2008 has an enticing nose of dark cherry blended with new season raspberry and wild mulberries. Touches of smoky clove and exotic spice add x-factor. Sweet red plum and black cherry flavours burst onto a palate characterised by very fine, supple tannins carrying evenly right to the finish. This wine is utterly charming with an underlying structure that has real weight and power.

THE ESTATE

Ata Rangi is owned and run by Clive Paton and his wife Phyll, together with Clive’s sister Alison. They are all bound by a shared enthusiasm for Pinot Noir and a passion for quality. Crimson is a new venture which was inspired by a love of New Zealand’s native ‘Christmas Trees’ - the rata and pohutukawa trees. Sales of the wine support the Project Crimson, a charitable conservation trust which plants and protects these trees.

VINEYARD & VINTAGE

The Pinot Noir grapes for Crimson are produced from young Martinborough vines in Lismore, Waiora and Walnut Ridge blocks, as well as fruit sourced from prime vineyard sites in Central Otago. 2008 was a remarkable season from start to finish. Weather could not have been better; from the start of spring flowering, right through the summer and into harvest. Fruit was in beautiful condition with lush flavours and ripe tannins resulting in a range of excellent wines. Altogether, 2008 was a huge lift for our spirits after the tiny crops of 2007. Harvest took place between the 20th March and the 24th April.

VINIFICATION

The grapes were hand picked and 100% destemmed, keeping as much whole berry fruit as possible. Pre-fermentation maceration lasted 2-7 days. The must was inoculated with both indigenous and cultured yeasts and hand plunged during fermentation that lasted approximately two weeks. The wine was racked into barrel, of which 25% was new oak, where it remained for a further nine months after malolactic fermentation until bottling.

Ata Rangi CRIMSON 2008 is included in Decanter's "Top 50 New World Pinot Noirs"
"Crimson is supposedly the wine to introduce you to its bigger cousin, the Ata Rangi estate Pinot. But perversely, you need all of the Pinot knowledge in the world to understand just how special Crimson is."  Matthew Jukes, UK Decanter Magazine June 09

Ata Rangi CRIMSON 2008 - 93 Points. The consistent 2008 season is responsible for the most delightful Crimson to date. It's beautifully perfumed on both the bouquet and palate, with roses, strawberries and raspberries. The palate is underlaid by very fine, firm tannins and a note of savoury complexity that builds all the way through its persistent finish.
Tyson Stelzer, Australia's WBM 100 April 09 

Ata Rangi CRIMSON 2008 - A dark brooding wine with a hint of frivolity - sweet fruit with a hint of raisins, chocolate and lollies, full and rich in the mouth, but supple, fine-grained tannins on the long finish. Attractive and very drinkable.
Charmian Smith, Otago Daily Times

Ata Rangi CRIMSON 2007 – 93 points   It’s staggering to think that this is Ata Rangi’s second tier Pinot – it wipes the deck with the best efforts of many other wineries! Super bright fruit aromas, there’s pure cherry flesh and gravelly mineral complexity, gentle savoury spice and haunting fragrance. Supple and steadily balanced, cherry flavour runs on layers of fine tannins, finishing long and fresh. Nick Stock, WBM100, Jul 08

Ata Rangi CRIMSON 2007 - This is the "junior" pinot of the Ata Rangi stable at Martinborough in New Zealand. Plummy aromas have complex undergrowth and woodsmoke touches, providing exemplary regional-varietal character. The silky palate has delicious intensity and is light and easy - ideal for drinking young and fresh.
Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Melbourne Age, 3 Mar 09

ATA RANGI CRIMSON 2006 . Ripe, supple and eminently drinkable. An excellent, stylish pinot made from comparatively young vines.
Lester Jesberg, Winewise, Feb 08

ATA RANGI CRIMSON 2006. A beautiful wine with a beautiful pohutukawa-clad label. With its bright raspberry and strawberry fruit, spice, and Ata Rangi's trademark silky texture, it has kilometres more depth than most young vine pinots.
Jo Burzynska, Viva. NZ Herald 18 Sep 2007

ATA RANGI CRIMSON 2006. The best of these [lower-priced, accessible New Zealand pinots] are world-beating wines with appeal and verve, often a blend of vineyards assembled into a generic regional statement with a name that suggests drinking, not thinking. It is no surprise that Ata Rangi, the Crown Prince of New Zealand’s pinot producers, has made one of the finest of these new wines. The 2006 Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir shows more complexity and style than any other entry level New Zealand pinot; toasty oak and spices, fragrant fruit and a restrained smoky edge. Its light, spritzy entry brings bright red cherries and a piercing wave of flavour over silky tannins, some gravelly minerals and impressive intensity.” 
Nick Stock, Gourmet Traveller WINE. Jun/Jul issue 2007

ATA RANGI CRIMSON 2006 - Quite a cool expression, very primary and showing some mint and herbs on the nose, some fine spices and brambly wild berries. The palate is balanced with restrained fruits, compact tannins and decent balance. Nick Stock WBM 100 Jan 08

Ata Rangi Crimson 2004: Top Import. Martinborough’s top pinot maker has a more affordable second label from young vines, and it’s a beauty. Gamey, sappy complexities, a touch of undergrowth, while the palate holds real depth of black cherry fruit on a fleshy framework finishing with length and grip.
Huon Hooke Sydney Morning Herald 14 May 2006

Ata Rangi Crimson 2004: You could buy this Martinborough Pinot because a percentage of sales goes to Project Crimson, conserving New Zealand’s rata and pohutukawa native trees. Or you could buy it because it’s delicious: red berries, juicy acidity, fine tannin, gluggable yumminess.
Max Allen, The Weekend Australian, 4 Feb 2006

Ata Rangi Crimson 2004: 17.5 points A brilliant second label from Ata Rangi and fabulous value: succulent, powerfully ripe flavours, fine, silky smooth and pleasantly lingering.
Peter Forrestal Sunday Times Magazine 14 May 2006

Ata Rangi Crimson 2004 is bright and vibrant pinot, still retaining some of the earthy and fungal  notes that one does associate with Ata Rangi. One for drinking over the next year or two, but still a wine that many producers would be proud to have as their flagship. Drink this wine: saving the world is a bonus. 
Ken Gargett, Courier Mail Brisbane Mar 2006

Ata Rangi Crimson 2004 is named after the project to protect pohutukawa and rata trees. This uncomplicated wine from vines less than ten years old has lovely up-front cherry, berry fruit, backed by spicy oak, but also the texture, depth and persistence we've come to expect from this acclaimed producer.
Charmian Smith, Otago Daily Times Nov 2005

Ata Rangi Crimson 2004.  This second label of the fabulous Martinborough winery, Ata Rangi, is a terrific pinot in its own right. Medium to full bodied, it is succulent and powerful with intense, ripe red berry flavours, silky texture and gentle, lingering tannins. Importantly, it has excellent varietal character and impressive finesse. 
Peter Forrestal, Quaff 2007 

. Splash Out: A captivating red, full of juicy-fruit quality and yet with the added texture provided by subtle oak and the gentlest nudge of tannin.
Anthony Rose, UK Independent Magazine, 4 Aug 07