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Ata Rangi McCrone Vineyard: Tasting the difference

How different can wines made from grapes grown on opposite sides of the road be? Rebecca Gibb MW found out during a visit to Ata Rangi in Martinborough, New Zealand, and reports on her favourite Pinot Noir wines tasted.

The year was 1988 and the wine world had only just discovered the electrifying flavours of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

The idea that this tiny, lamb-chop shaped country at the end of the earth would soon become a reputed Pinot Noir producer seemed as likely as Italy beating the All Blacks.

We might still be waiting for the latter, but many of us wine lovers are now thankful that Clive Paton sold his milking cows and bought a piece of land in the then-rural backwater of Martinborough to grow Pinot Noir.


Scroll down to see Rebecca’s Ata Rangi Pinot Noir tasting notes


Comparing vineyards:

 


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