2019 Ata Rangi McCrone Pinot Noir

97 POINTS

James Suckling

Attractive, fresh red-cherry and blueberry aromas, as well as blood orange and orange zest. Some herbal notes too. This delivers a sense of purity as well as complexity. The palate has bright and vivid red-cherry flavor with quite a rich and well-defined core of intense red cherries and a fluid build through the finish. Nicely layered and concentrated with intense, compressed tannin at the finish.

97 POINTS

James Suckling

A firm and linear red with polished and tight tannins that are well-formed giving this serious focus. It’s medium-bodied with a racy sensitivity and length. Chewy classic way. Long and framed. Just a baby. Just like it was on release.

96 POINTS

Anne Krebiehl MW - Falstaff

Ripe red cherry is clothed in subtle smoke on the sumptuous nose. That smokiness persists on the palate that shimmers with elderberry, tar and ripe, red cherry. Aromatic nuances unfold while the gentle imprint of tannin leaves its trace. This is bold, full-fruited but also edged with savoury spice and bright with freshness. It is smoke and cherry that dominate the long finish.

95 POINTS

Mike Bennie - Halliday Wine Companion

The McCrone Vineyard is a mere 400m from the Ata Rangi winery, and has been designated as a single-vineyard wine for over a decade. It's typically a fuller-flavoured profile from this site, and no disappointment from this 2019 release. Deep, dark cherry, cola and choc-truffles, gingery spice and cedar with salted licorice, sage leaf and bay leaf in tow. Potent in the palate, it rumbles along, rich and round with a pleasing, cinching tug of dusty, sinewy tannin finishing dry, savoury and herbal. Bold, rambunctious and yet balanced beautifully. Enjoy the power and grace.

94 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2019 McCrone Vineyard Pinot Noir leads with coffee grounds and star anise, hints of bone broth and black cherry. In the mouth, the wine is really starting to hit straps. At four years of age, it is still emerging from its inchoate youth, but it is already showing such expressive vibrancy. The 40% whole bunch is sitting so nicely within the structure and profile now. What a wine to finish the 2021 lineup with. There was no 2021 McCrone made due to an unfortunate frost. Sealed under screw cap.

93 POINTS

Gary Walsh - The Wine Front

MB has reviewed the 2020 already, so I’m guessing the 2019 was held back due to its more powerful nature. This is quite a lot of Pinot Noir to unpack. Dark cherry, a Braulio amaro twang to it, orange peel and coffee bean, spice and dried herb, liquorice and damp earth. It’s a geosmin-laced wine, in a good and peculiar way, forceful and charismatic, distinctly savoury and laced with orange peel and spice. It has a truffle-like decay and sweetness, plenty of dusty tannin grip, a cool ‘mineral’ bite to acidity along with excellent length. Idiosyncratic to say the least, though I do like it. Unusual and hard to ignore.