Ata Rangi, McCrone Vineyard Pinot Noir, Martinborough

Maraschino cherries, green peppercorn, potted soil, hibiscus, pomegranate, red currents, oregano, black tea, and a touch of baking spice. Smooth tannins with lovely acidity. A great wine at a great value. Took 45 minutes to open up. Only complaint is that the finish was rather short.

Negociants Australia New Release Tasting 2019 : Chocolate, strawberry and blueberry. Rich fruit on the palate with the structure holding up well - good acid and texture. Different in style, but still very nice.

Tasting at Ata Rangi (Ata Rangi, Martinborough) : I was not a great fan of this wine. An okay drink, but not one I would drink on a regular basis. Like the straight Ata Rangi Pinot that preceded it, this started out well, with a lovely Burgundian nose - lots of earthy soil, then dark cherries and wild berries, with a ring of florals around it all. Very nice. The Palate had a cool, rather backward feel to it though. …

The Magnum Society tasting with Helen Masters, winemaker of Ata Rangi (Wellington, New Zealand) : Richer than the standard cuvee - hints of spice and chocolate. still very dry. lovely balance, denser and has more stuffing than the regular cuvee, but is possibly less transparent. Thicker in personality.

The Magnum Society tasting with Helen Masters, winemaker of Ata Rangi (Wellington, New Zealand) : Lean, but has slightly more power than the standard cuvee in this vintage. Direct, fruit driven, very dry.

Working wine wine Seminar two Burgundy, Beguiling, Bewildering and Beautiful (Est. Restaurant, George Street, Sydney) : Again polished fruit but more dark hued here with flattering oak, savoury spice. The palate proves savoury and very slightly sour, slightly grainy tannins on the mid palate, the black berry fruit is more present, quite dense. Time will probably help.

Medium ruby-red in the glass. Upfront smoky whole-bunch character, with that lovely interplay of supple raspberry fruit and secondary sort of flinty/matchstick reduction. Some oak spice evident which sort of sits atop of the wine awkwardly. Palate is beautiful, really expansive and textural, quite a rich mid-palate (which to me is kind of what the other Ata Rangi wines are missing). Dusty, dry tannic structure, sort of chalky. Really lovely wine which is already quite integrated but should grow into …