Ata Rangi Martinborough Terrace Old Vines Pinot Noir 2024 (750ml)

This reluctantly opens with a complex amalgam of blueberry, raspberry and cherry; a whiff of sweet vanilla oak; earthy, peppery spice and a brooding undertow. The palate remains closed and reticent despite vigorous aeration, but it has excellent balance between ripe spicy warmth, etched acidity and finely detailed yet structural tannins. Impressively long and expansive on the finish, this quietly majestic wine possesses innate power and will need a few years in the cellar before it reveals its true qualities.

Lively and inspired. On the nose, red cherries, strawberries, dried orange rind and some peppercorns dominate. Medium-bodied, showing fine, silky tannins, bright acidity and refined texture. There is tension on the palate, a vertical dimension bringing vitality and character. Juicy fruit balances the crisp, stony and lingering finish.

Very pretty perfume of red cherry, green tomato, a touch of jalapeño, some dark chocolate and, curiously, a little exotic, tropical floral lift. Juicy in the palate, with a wrap of fine, silty tannins drawn long to a fine, bright finish. A little extra dusting of woody spices emerges, too. A wine of joy and approachability.

A wine to buy and cellar, this is a stellar wine, taut and locked-up yet revealing just enough power and concentration to show that you should be buying a dozen (frankly more is better) to lay down and consider opening the first bottle in 2030 - just to check. A completely delicious and seductive bouquet suggesting myriad red berries framed by echoes of dried herb and soil then wood smoke and nut, an ever-so-gentle reductive seam and flinty moment. Pure, dry, ripe and complex. A wine that repeats its story, like a a great- movie where you notice something different each time you watch it. Complex, lengthy and delicious, a wine for 2031 through 2041+