Among the very first to recognise the viticultural potential of Martinborough on New Zealand’s North Island, Ata Rangi has built a reputation for serious, ageworthy Pinot Noir
Selling your dairy herd to buy a vineyard may not raise too many eyebrows these days, but back in 1980 when Clive Paton purchased five barren, stony hectares to plant Pinot Noir near the tiny backwater farming town of Martinborough, New Zealand, it was positively bonkers.
Apart from Dry River Wines, established the year before (and an ill-fated venture started in 1978 by publisher Alister Taylor), there were no other vineyards in Martinborough, and quality wine production of any sort in New Zealand was nascent, to say the least. A government report published in 1978 had suggested Martinborough might be well suited to Burgundian varieties, but Paton and his sister Alison, who had bought an adjoining 2ha, were still taking a very big punt indeed in planting the first vines at Ata Rangi.
Thankfully, there were soon a few other mad neighbours. Martinborough Vineyards, also planted in 1980, was followed by Chifney Estate (now part of Margrain) and Te Kairanga. In time, further producers slowly followed these bold pioneers. To this day, Wairarapa as a whole only produces 1% of New Zealand’s wine (itself less than 2% of global wine production), the majority of which is produced in Martinborough, but thanks to producers such as Ata Rangi, its 60-odd wineries have built an impressive international reputation that far eclipses its size.
These days, Ata Rangi – ‘dawn sky’ or ‘new beginnings’ in the Māori language – farms about 32ha spread across 12 vineyards situated on the Martinborough Terrace, a swathe of 25m-30m deep alluvial gravels surrounding the still tiny but now thriving township. As well as the original Home Block vineyard – now 44 years old and planted to the local Abel clone (see box, p70) – it owns seven other nearby vineyards, farms two others under long-term leases and sources fruit from winemaker Helen Masters’ vineyard and the Dara Vineyard, owned by Kim and Gordana Dara.
FAMILY ROOTS
Alongside Pinot Noir, there are plantings of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Ata Rangi first achieved full organic certification for two of its vineyards, McCrone and Home Block, in 2014, with the rest following soon after, and is also unusual in New Zealand in that a large percentage of its vines remain on their own roots. This is not without risk, but Paton feels the benefits of extra concentration and consistency they perceive in the fruit outweigh any additional phylloxera hazard potential.
Widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s best wineries, Ata Rangi��
