Sue Courtney's Blog of Vinous Ramblings

Ata Rangi Pinot Noir is generally regarded as one of New Zealand's elite. It is one of the original Martinborough labels with Pinot Noir plantings dating back to 1980. The first vintage was in 1985. Ata Rangi has won the Bouchard-Finlayson Trophy for Best Pinot Noir at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London three times - in 1995, 1996 and 2001. That followed a decade of gold medal and trophy successes in Australasian wine competitions. Ata Rangi no longer enters wine competitions in New Zealand. They don't need to. Over the years the wine has showed quality and consistency. The wine has earned its prestigious reputation. Ata Rangi and Wild Earth

Wild Earth Pinot Noir from Central Otago is new to the scene but with an illustrious track record already, the 2006 winning the overall Champion Pinot Noir Trophy at the London International Wine Challenge in 2007. The 2006 was only the third vintage for this Bannockburn-based producer, where the address is the famous Felton Road, although fruit is sourced from their vineyard in Lowburn as well as from Bannockburn. The 2004 vintage wine was a stunner and the quality has never waned. The 2005 and the 2006 received a swag of awards and the newly released 2007 has had golden success already.

So how would these two wines, both from the same vintage but from different regions in different islands, from vastly different vine ages and made by different winemakers, compare? There is only one way to find out - and that is by tasting them.

Ata Rangi Martinborough Pinot Noir 2006 is quite a bit paler in colour than the Wild Earth - it is a more classic Burgundy red with a deep translucency when the two are compared. The nose is savoury with a sweet cherry overlay and in the palate the tannins are firm despite the allusion of smoothness. It is earthy, gamey and savoury with brooding smoky French oak and dark cherry fruit along with hints of yummy poached tamarillo and those tarter red fruits that fit in so well with the overall savouriness. There's something quite different to the flavour - very ripe fig perhaps - and a nuggetty, tarry layer that is heading towards truffle. Slow to start but expands beautifully in the mouth, building sultry layer upon sultry layer, finishing with a coating of chocolate garnache. This is the sipping wine. This is the thinking wine. It's long and penetrating and the afterglow lasts for ages. An excellent cellaring proposition too.

2006 was a 'dream vintage' in the Ata Rangi Vineyards with fruit coming from four blocks but mostly from the 27-year old 'Home Block'. Made from Abel, Clone 5, 10/5 and Dijon clones, the vineyards were kept separate during fermentation. The ferments had up to 5-8 days pre-ferment maceration with 10% whole berries and spent 22 days in the ferment tanks until pressing. The wine then spent 12 months in French oak barrels, of which 25% were new.

Bottled in July 2007, the wine has 13.5% alcohol stated on the bottle, a screwcap closure and was released at about $65 a bottle.

My rating: 5 stars.

Wild Earth Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006 is a deep dark red with flashes of purple black, opaque in the core of the glass and with a ruby, crimson glow. On the nose it immediately appeals with its chocolate and cherry cologne and in the mouth it is immediately seductive with upfront fruit sweetness, chocolate, cherry, wild fruits of the forest, underlying orange peel acidity and sweet spices. It is rich, robust and round with an underlying earthy savouriness and a cosy cloak of mouth enveloping tannins. This is the guzzling wine. This is drinking wine. It's right at you babe, all the way. But be careful, because before you know it, it will be gone.

A 'classic' vintage from a growing standpoint, according to Wild Earth, warmer than the previous year, it is a blend of two vineyards - Bannockburn (Felton Road) where there are predominantly Dijon clones and Lowburn, further north, where the fruit is Clones 5 & 6. In all there were 11 different ferments, each with 5-7 days cold soak, pumping over and twice daily plunging. The ferments were warmed and inoculated with yeast with plunging 30, then 4-times a day. The fermented wines spent 7-10 days on the skin after the ferments were completed, then they were gently drained, tank settled and racked to 225-litre French oak barrels, of which 30% were new oak, for 10 to 11 months maturation before blending and bottling.

Bottled late March 2007, the wine has 14% alcohol stated on the label, a screwcap closure and was released at about $35 a bottle.

My rating: 5 stars.

I love them both however I can see that more traditional Burgundy drinkers will sit firmly in the Ata Rangi camp while those who never understood Burgundy - and perhaps have never tasted Burgundy - will adore the Wild Earth.

As both these wine are now on the 2007 vintages - just released, so this may be purely an academic exercise. Already I can say the Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2007, quickly tasted on release at the Martinborough Winegrowers tasting in October but without notes taken, is a much deeper colour and more forward wine than the 2006, while the Wild Earth Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007 has already picked up a very deserved gold medal in International competition.