Ata Rangi, meaning “dawn sky” or “new beginning” is a small New Zealand winery with a big reputation for serious Pinot Noir. Located at the southern end of the North Island, it is owned and managed by a family trio – Clive Paton, his wife Phyll and his sister Alison.
Ata Rangi founder Clive Paton was one of four pioneer winegrowers who planted their first few acres of vines on the free-draining terrace gravels at the edge of the Martinborough village in 1980. Then a 30 year old solo Dad with his six year old daughter Ness in tow, he sold his herd of dairy cows to buy the original 5 hectare block and doggedly pursue his dream of making world-class wine. The locals all thought he’d gone mad; beer was the drink of choice and grapes were unheard of in the area. The first vines planted included the now legendary ‘gum-boot’ clone of pinot allegedly smuggled from Romanee Conti in Burgundy…
30 years later Ata Rangi is acknowledged internationally as a producer of outstanding wines. Robert Parkers US website reports . “When I asked winemakers to name New Zealand’s greatest producers, one name kept coming up: Ata Rangi, meaning ‘new beginning’.”. Ata Rangi Pinot Noir is undoubtedly the flagship wine, and in 2010 was honoured with the inaugural Tipuranga Teitei o Aotearoa or “Grand Cru of New Zealand”
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