This sparkling cuvée was conceived in the late hours of the cool, tempestuous 2023 season.  A parcel of Pinot Noir that did not want to sit through another rain shower! 

We picked at low brix, and a fresh high acid, perfect for making a vibrant and uplifting bubbles.  This was about moving and responding to the season and making something we are proud of and love drinking! 

Hand-picked Pinot Noir was whole bunch pressed; the juice was fermented in neutral oak on full lees and aged for 11 months.  The second fermentation which produces the bubbles was done in a pressurised tank, this method is known as Charmat method and was invented and patented in 1895 by an Italian named Federico Martinotti, a winemaker in Asti. 

This method is how Prosecco and many sparkling wines around the world are made and now, for this iteration, at Ata Rangi too.