1999 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir Martinborough

'Quality not quantity' best describes this season. The cool, windy spring meant very low crops (1-2 tonnes/acre) and the ideal warm, dry summer conditions produced grapes with intense flavour. 1999 marked a noticeable step up in wine quality. By then we had better equipment and a far better feel for appropriate tank times and winemaking techniques – and therefore more confidence to extend the length of the pre-ferment maceration. The wines were also getting older and more in balance. This wine won the UK International Wine and Spirit Competition Pinot Noir Trophy in 2001, making a hat-trick of IWC Trophies (1993, 1994, 1999 vintages) which helped to establish our global cred. GDD 1,150. More bricky than the 1998. Distinctively smoky on the nose. A little bit stemmy/savoury (though no whole-bunch in this vintage). Silky sweetness of red fruit on the palate, tomato too. So lively and fresh and youthful in the mouth. Still some tannin felt on the aftertaste. Long and bright, the fruit clearly ripe, the savoury quality probably due to longer maceration. (JH)

Dark, slightly dull red. Diffuse red fruits, berry skin and a whiff of dill on the nose. Rich, ripe and slightly phenolic, with the dill note repeating in the mouth. Has decent shape and grip, and fairly light tannins, but finishes with a slightly dry edge.