Although I have loved Atarangi pinot noir (easily one of the best new world pinots anywhere) for quite some time now, for some reason I had never made it out to visit the vineyard until last weekend.
It was a perfectly hot Wairarapa day on Sunday, and I decided that it would be the perfect day to see (and taste) a little more of what Atarangi had to offer.
Everyone knows they make great pinot noir, and I was sure there would some pinot gris on offer too. What surprised me was that for $5 I tasted a sauvignon blanc, two chardonnays, a young vine pinot and an old vine pinot, a merlot/syrah/cabsav/cabfranc blend (celebre), the summer rose, and the reisling!
The cellar door manager Bron talked me through the tasting, juggling another two groups which arrived at the same time. She was knowlegable and fun and managed to create a lovely relaxed environment. We chatted and drank and shared stories of travel, fine dining, and wine as Bron led us seamlessly through the tasting.
What stood out for me was the enourmous difference between the young vine and old vine pinot noir. They might as well have been different grape varieties! The young vine Crimson 2008 was all black cherry and smoke, packing some serious punch in terms of structure, where as the old vine 2008 pinot was all silk! It was luscious and smooth and beautifully delicate.
I loved loved loved the pinot gris. It was perfectly soft, tasting of juicy pear, a touch of honey, and it had a lovely floral nose.
The reisling was full of lovely fresh fruit flavours. Passionfruit and honey.
The summer rose was a surprise. Very very soft, and very little residual sweetness. For those of you who think rose always just tastes like strawberries, cherries, and candy floss, you might really like this little stunner. Its crisp, and dry, with great fruit flavour. Must be the merlot!
The two chardonnays were drastically different, and I was really impressed by the Craighall which is more my style. It was perfectly buttery but still had enough zing to keep things interesting.
The reisling is sort of like Madonna's latest world tour! tour
Its like yummy dried tropical fruit and it has great texture.
Best value for money and biggest surprise was the summer rose - not normally my pick but at $18 it was a real treat.
Of all the vineyards I have visited this one had the most relaxed and friendly environment - a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I would highly recomend you pop out there for a tipple and a wander in the sun.
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