We overnighted in Martinborough – right in the heart of the vines.
Martinborough is a wonderful high quality area of production just to the north of Wellington with Pinot Noir at the fore.
We headed out to Ata Rangi this morning – a flagship winery that was one of the four pioneering wineries that restarted Martinborough’s wine industry in the mid 1980’s. we were thrilled to meet owners Clive & Phyll Paton. Clive saw the opportunity when many people at the time dismissed the notion that quality wine could be produced in Martinborough.
Clive took us round his original block of Pinot Noir and gave us some great background to the local terroir, the fact that his Pinot Noir is ungrafted and quite possibly originated from cuttings from La Tache vineyard in Burgundy.
In the winery we tasted:
- Sauvignon Blanc 2013
- Pinot Gris 2013 Lismore
- Chardonnay 2011 Craighall
- Crimson Pinot Noir 2013
- Pinot Noir 2008 Martinborough
- Pinot Noir 2012 Martinborough
Fabulous depth of flavour, elegance and richness permeated all the wines. It is no wonder that Ata Rangi are regarded as one of Martinborough’s and New Zealand’s premier wineries.
From Ata Rangi we had time for a quick coffee in Martinborough before heading off to Wellington and the Interislander ferry to Picton on the south island.
We were lucky – the storm from yesterday had passed and we had a relatively gentle crossing.
The views into Marlborough sound are stunning!