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Beautiful packaging featuring the leaves and a flower of the rata and pohutukawa, New Zealand’s native ‘Christmas trees’, and there is no mistaking it for anything other than a Kiwi pinot on tasting either. It’s the second wine from Ata Rangi made with younger vine material.

Opens a little smoky with bright spicy cherry fruit, cola, dried herb and leaf litter smells. On the palate light to medium bodied with tangy flavours of dark cherry and spice, smoke and slightly bitter dried herb flavours - sort of Campari like in some ways. Nice ripe fruit but with an attractive green twiggy edge. It feels fresh with light but firm tannin and finishes long with a surprising expansion on the back palate. A very stylish and (relatively) affordable wine.

Other vintages : 2005

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I have had a crack at this particular wine twice now. The first out of big glasses (next to the 2006 PHI Pinot) at an informal tasting and the second out of little glasses at an informal dinner. I know I am bad and I should pay more attention, but no matter which way you slice the old tamarillo, this is an outstanding wine that stands up and performs every time.

Aromas of dark cherry, spice, dark chocolate, violet and a tangy orange peel top note. A bit earthy, fruity and fragrant all in one. On the palate smooth fine talc-like tannins and a lithe muscular frame with expansive and mouth filling fruit. Plenty of flavour, but not heavy or clumsy. There are flavours of dark cherry and berry, spice, undergrowth and tamarillo with a light (and very attractive) sarsaparilla character adding regional interest. Long and persistent (Are we finished yet? Are we finished yet?). I wasted no time buying a few bottles for the cellar.

Other vintages: 2005, 2003

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This is a blend of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc (35%), syrah (35%) and merlot (30%) which threw me into a flat spin trying to work out which category to put it under. A very interesting wine this one. I’d suggest that a few Australian tasters might find it a little too herbal and sappy for their tastes but the more I had of it, the more I liked it. It’s a quality wine, and one that I found strangely compelling.

Garnet red with crushed berry, blackcurrant, pepper, dried herb and spices with a little licorice root richness. A bright and sappy wine with a distinctly grassy edge. On the palate light to medium bodied with fresh tart red berries, blackcurrant, pepper and grassy flavours. It has a firm backbone of dry lightly chalky tannin and lively acidity. Good length of flavour with a fresh dried herb aftertaste. A refreshing wine that complements rather than combats food.

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Martinborough does a good line in Sauvignon Blanc. This is hand picked from four vineyards with 15% fermented in three year old oak.

Juicy and fruity with mango, gooseberry and pineapple fruit and a little spiced capsicum and dried herb. On the palate a softer, rounder expression of Sauvignon with excellent weight and texture and lovely tropical fruit, sweet ripe limes and some spicy grassy flavours in support. Finishes with a tropical fruit and spice aftertaste. Juicy and delicious.

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Sometimes I think we can get a bit too wound up analysing wine and forget the fact that sometimes we just need to knock over a really pleasant drink and leave it at that. This is one such wine. I had a glass and thought ‘Hmmmm this goes all right. I could get through a bit of this.’

Aromas of red berries, cinnamon, caramel and a bit of that Kiwi sappy tamarillo sort of smell. On the palate it has juicy red berries, plenty of spice and a bit of pepper. It has light fine tannins but a good shape and texture. Finishes nice and dry. Highly slurpable and very tasty.

Other vintages : 2005

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I sometimes feel spoilt when friends open wines for me like this, such diversity is really helpful to expand ones palate. A deep red in the glass that oozed plum, a bit of cherry and some funk. The palate saw the same fruit flavours but the “funk” resolved itself to show a bit of earth, mushroom and a nuttiness. It wasn’t marzipan, more like cashew. The wine had great body and palate weight. It was quite nice and it did open up in the glass. I would suggest that it would benefit from a good breathe in a decanter for a few hours rather than opening and pouring straight from the bottle. I saw it on Langtons for about $30 but would prefer some younger local drops like those I reviewed last week.

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A masked tasting with friends had this vinous tribute to a much loved four legged member of the winery team. The aromas from the glass were plums and spice with some cracked pepper in back. On the palate it has ripe plums, a long finish but the spicy edge was something I found quite a distraction. It seemed to be a little too much on the dried herbs side yet it has ripe plum fruit characters as well, “‘tiz a puzzlement” as Yul Bryner once said. Not a great wine and at the price I would be worried about buying too much to see how it evolves.

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We have tried several nights looking at groups of highly respected chardonnays. This was a bit out of left field, ie slipped in by a guest. The nose was a lovely mix of citrus, melon and peach. The palate was squeaky clean and very refined showing peach, citrus and a bit of apricot. The palate was very long and Wendy was most impressed. The price would make it a bit dearer than day to day drinking but in the ball park of the cheaper Bourgognes that I have seen in recent months. The Penfolds Reserve Bin 05A was another wine that we liked but it is $85. The comparison between these two is that they both have great length and nice palate weight whilst still showing great fruit, although the Penfolds has more lees and mealy flavours compared to the peachy fruit of the Ata Rangi. We are quite spoilt to have this range of quality local chardonnay at our retail outlets.

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I have a very minor, but annoying, cold-like thing at the moment which is accentuating bitterness and I have to shift my perception of wines just a little bit to accommodate for this. Anyway, I sought a couple of second opinions from two healthy people (physically at least) just to make sure. I am thorough. I seem to have missed tasting the 2004 Ata Rangi for some reason. Not too fussed though because vintages and wines are a bit like buses; there is always another one just around the corner. Unless, of course, there is a bus strike and then you are stuffed…anyway, by all accounts this is a better quality bus than the last one.

Aromas of sweet cherry, lots of spice, the perfume of various herbs and flowers like rose and rosemary, stalks, a little earth and a wisp of smoke. Fruity but evenly tempered by the sappy herbal notes. It smells typically NZ. On the palate medium bodied with cherry, weak cola, tamarillo, some earthiness, stalks and spice. Firm fine lightly sappy tannins and crisp acidity. This is straight backed and quite refined but with good texture and mouthfeel. Finishes long with some lightly bitter (but refreshing) tamarillo flavours. A challenging and thought provoking wine.

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One of my friends grows and makes Riesling and regularly benchmarks a range of wines from Alsace, Germany and sometimes Austria so I consider myself reasonably on the ball with the variety. Another friend served this blind at dinner and I was confused. The structure and some of the flavours suggested a Mosel wine but there was this aged character and a little of the kerosine flavour I see in 2 to 3 year old Aussie Rieslings. Lovely acid and great length. I decided I didn’t care where it came from, it was very good. I suspect it has the acid/fruit balance to age for many more years but I worry about the “kerro”.

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I had this wine at an annual tasting where 14 of us supply a Pinot of interest. The wines have to be at the venue at least a week before hand and although consumed blind you are supplied with a list of what’s on offer. It usually provides an ecclectic collection. This wine was red with a bit of brown in the edge. The nose had an aged character with cherry and fennel/licorice. The palate starts with cherry, toasty oak and moves into plum with a good dose of fennel on the finish. I had supplied a village burgundy that I suspected could be this wine. Wrong! It was a Kiwi. I looked it up on the web when I returned home and noted NZ wine reviewer, Peter Saunders had very similar comments to me. Lovely wine, just seems to be developing a bit quickly.

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A great website if you want to practice your Japanese. It appears that this is a Japanese/Martinborough concern. It was in a bracket of Pinots that showed either hi Char/toast oak OR reductive character. This wine had lovely cherry fruit and nice length. Great Pinosity and once the pong seemed to breathe away it was pretty good. The oak was a bit in my face, but once again it’s all about choices and style.

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As a child I always used to take things apart to see how they worked..and then I could never put them back again. I trashed most of my toys and precious things this way. Anyway, I opened this wine sealed with the new ‘Stelvin Luxe’ because I was equally curious. Luckily there was only a little bit of fear as I was sure I would be able to put it back together again. You will be pleased to know that I managed to do so by screwing the top back on in a clockwise motion. I am a fair bit smarter these days!

Aromas of plum, black cherry, tamarillo, toasty spicy oak, brown sugar and a little smokey undergrowth. It smells like a Marlborough pinot. On the palate sour red fruits and plums with spicy caramel oak and a touch of stalkiness. Quite tart and fresh with grainy tannins. Most of the weight is on the front palate and the finish tails away quickly but it does smell good. A well priced bistro style pinot.

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Kahu is the Maori for Harrier Hawk, and it inspired the name of a vineyard neighbouring the Ata Rangi property from which the grapes to make this wine are grown.

An expansive nose: dried pears and dried apricots, orange peel, candied ruby grapefuit, a bit of matchstick, some smoke. The palate is big and big and luscious, orange marmalade, clean dried pears, almost honeyed, silky smooth with some green plum freshness and acidity. The length is terrific, full flavoured, and it finishes with a bit of residual sugar. Apparently there is around 130 g/l residual sugar, but I think it maintains some balance and poise - a terrific wine.

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I tried the 2005 Ata Rangi during the week, and was surprised by its tannic backwardness. This reminded me that I had a taster of the 2003 that had been left unconsumed. So I found it and this is what I thought. Rich and ripe on the nose, red cherries and red plums, wood spices, a bit of forest floor and animalé. The palate is leaner and more focused than the nose would suggest, restrained fruit with some minerality, red cherries and raspberries, cinnamon, drying and woody, with fine tannins and a sour finish.

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The “Crimson” Pinot Noir is produced from some younger vines blocks at Ata Rangi; this is the second release. The nose shows stalky red cherries, dry woody spices, dry pepper, smallgoods and a dash of resin. The palate is a bit unyielding, dry red cherries, earth and pepper, stalk, and a bit of char. Reasonable length, but the finish is marred by a faint chemical harshness. It did open up with an hour or so in the glass, but not enough to warrant purchasing.

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Just back from a long lunch and had the opportunity to try this wine.  Now, I don’t drink a lot of Sauvignon Blanc, but I must say that this was impressive, and I will be getting myself another bottle soon.

Off the top of my head (it was too nerdy to write notes at the time): wonderful aroma of limes and apples, a slight herbaceousness and excusing my vagueness, lots of interesting things.  There are, however, a few characteristics this wine does not have: no peas or beans or asparagus or cut grass – all pluses in my book.  The palate is a winner too: refined minerals, ripe fruits, but not tropical and sweet, classy though perhaps a little austere or lean.  Try a bottle, you might like it …

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Oooo I had a right lot of wines over the XMAS break and this is one of the better ones. It comes from Martinborough in NZ but looks more like Burgundy. The winemaker is Australian Larry McKenna.

Lovely crimson colour. Complex Burgundian overtones - undergrowth and decay but also floral with bright cherry fruit and a touch of vanilla oak. Slightly sappy too. Fresh and dry on the palate. Light not heavy. Some sappy grippy tannin. Excellent pinosity. Builds up in the glass. A lovely stylish wine.

(Retasted Jan05 - Not as impressed this time. The palate seemed a little dilute and thin.)

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