2020 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir

Ata Rangi Pinot Noir needs little introduction. The icon of NZ Pinot, and one of the finest renditions of the variety in the southern hemisphere, this beautiful 2020 release - the winery of James Suckling’s NZ Wine of the Year - is a stark reminder that you should skip the Burgundy and buy this instead.

'The long-serving, dedicated team behind Ata Rangi just go from strength to strength. Their Pinots have always been great and yet, even in a world where the Pinot benchmark gets higher very year, Ata Rangi is better than ever.'

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Advocate

They're lofty words from one of the globe's most influential wine critics. But it's hard to disagree - Ata Rangi Pinot Noir is right up there amongst the world's best wines, and this 2020 is another impossibly fine wine. Exhibit a, b and c - the glowing reviews:

' Accessible now but with a proven history of ageing gracefully. Elegant wine with impressive power.'

98 points, Bob Campbell MW

'Supremely vibrant and perfumed with fine tannins that run the length of the medium-bodied palate. Textural. Ground spice and fresh fruit are intertwined, providing wonderful depth and complexity. So long as well. Seamless balance. Superb. Sustainable..'</i>

98 points, Nick Stock, Jamessuckling.com

‘Scented yet restrained, with a fragrance of sweet red fruit, tea leaf and cedar spices with persistent acidity that carries it. Very complete and already approachable.’

96 points, Rebecca Gibb, Vinous

Beyond the reviews, the reason why this famous Kiwi Pinot really deserves attention is the simple value quotient. In our opinion, it is right up there with Grand Cru Burgundy, except from New Zealand (and you won't pay $1000 a bottle).

Described as 'the crowned king of New Zealand Pinot Noir', what also sets this wine apart is the sense of history. Fascinatingly, the Pinot Noir clone planted at Ata Rangi is known as the 'gumboot clone', which was rumoured to have come from cuttings taken from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti in Burgundy, smuggled back into the country in an anonymous boot.

There's plenty of Burgundian swagger in this 2020 vintage Pinot too, a silken edge to the texture that makes you do a double take, but with serious tannins too. Am I in New Zealand, or has this wine transported me to the lush, rolling hills of Vosne-Romanee?

Sure, you could spend $1000 on Burgundy and get something marginally more profound. But wouldn't you rather have almost a dozen bottles of Ata Rangi instead?

After one taste, you'll want more than a dozen bottles in your cellar...