Description
“Really much more Burgundian than New Zealand” – Jancis Robinson
Prophet’s Rock was first planted in 1999 in what is a breathtaking part of Bendigo in the Cromwell Basin, in Central Otago. Unlike the majority of the vineyards in this region which sit on the valley floor their vineyards are planted on steep slopes facing North. Paul Pujol is the winemaker since the first vintage in 2005 and has spent the off season over the last 4 years working in France at both Alsace for Kuentz-Bar and Comte de Vogue in Burgundy so has a superb grounding in aromatic textured whites and one of the greatest expressions of Pinot Noir.
About this wine from the winemaker: “Since the first release in 2005, this wine has been sourced exclusively from our small Home Vineyard site up in the hills of Bendigo sub-region, Central Otago. The vineyard sits on a high elevation (320 – 390m), steep glacial terrace high above the valley floor. The site features some of the oldest vineyard soils in the valley with the formation of the terrace occurring approximately 650K years ago. The soil age and dry Central Otago climate have combined to create the unusual clay and pedogenic lime soil structure. Beneath layers of clay at a depth of 50-80cm sits a thick layer of chalk. The 7.5ha site was prepared and planted between 1999-2001 and features 7 clones of Pinot Noir and 0.5ha of Pinot Gris. Full organic certification (Biogro) was completed prior to the 2018 vintage. A strong focus on viticulture is the foundation of the winemaking approach. Yields are consistently managed to 30-35hl/ha or approximately 4ton/ha.
“We had a mild finish to winter and a stable spring with no frost in the region after the first week of October when the vines were barely getting underway. There was regular small rainfall through November which gave the vines energy for flowering and fruit set in December when the weather was both warmer and dry. January and February were warm and very dry until late February when the weather cooled thanks to a rain event that fell as snow on the mountains. March was mild but not hot with only five days reaching 25°C early in the month. From the middle of March until the end of harvest in April, the weather remained stable allowing us the flexibility to pick on flavour and ripeness. The grapes held good acidity and the resulting wines have a great balance of freshness along with ripe flavours and good structure.
“The handpicked fruit is destemmed and fermented using only indigenous ‘wild’ yeast. A key feature of our vinification is extremely low extraction, all our small open top tanks are only hand-plunged once during fermentation. The wine then spends 17 months in barrel (35% new) and undergoes indigenous malolactic fermentation.
“In 2023 the Home Vineyard Pinot Noir displays its characteristic depth and complexity. Deep aromatics that lead with spice and violets lead to a palate with classic fine tannin, juicy bramble fruits and an extremely long finish. This site reveals itself with time in the glass and is a fantastic wine for long term cellaring.”
97 points, James Suckling, “A fantastic pinot with dried strawberries, orange peel, terra-cotta, and dried leaves. It’s full and very layered with creamy and fine tannins that go on for minutes. Plenty of depth and very long with tension and a beautifully creamy, velvety finish.”
RRP $98 Our Special Price $75.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine
