Chardonnay Craighall

Ata Rangi, a Maori word meaning ‘dawning sky’ or ‘new beginning’, is a world renown vineyard owned and managed by Clive Paton, his wife Phyll, Clive’s sister Alison and her husband Oliver Masters. Clive planted the original home paddock in Martinborough in 1980 and in doing so was one of the handful of people who pioneered grape growing in the region.Martinborough is located on an ancient rocky river bed with an escarpment leading up to mountains behind on three sides. The key to the area is the very limited free draining ground soil which is already planted 'out'. It is much cooler and drier than any other North Island region and shares a climate similar to that of Marlborough. The climate and soil is also distinctly Burgundian, favouring early ripening varieties. The small producers of Martinborough produce pinot noir that has grabbed the attention of the wine world. The established, low yielding vineyards and small production Burgundian winemaking techniques create pinot noir that has the style and class to rival the world's best.

Sourced from old Mendoza clone vines, this flagship Chardonnay from Ata Rangi shows plenty of savoury complexity and layered fruits on the nose and palate. There's peach nougat and a nutty thread here, some sweet melon fruit and a lithe, juicy and pleasantly grippy, tangy finish.