Prophet's Rock Cuvee Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir 2023 is a Central Otago Pinot Noir from a single-clone parcel of the organically certified Home Vineyard in Bendigo. This wine has boysenberry, rose, cherry and blood orange, with fine tannins and a long finish. It suits Pinot Noir drinkers who want a wine to savour and cellar.
The nose opens slowly. It's dusty boysenberry and deep rose, with dried herb and a forest floor note that turns up once the wine has had some air in the glass. Then the palate brings cherry, blood orange, violets and anise.
Prophet's Rock made only 13 barrels of the 2023. It's a wine to open for an occasion with lamb, venison or game birds, and it rewards being decanted.
The fruit is a single-clone Pinot Noir parcel from the 7.5 ha Home Vineyard, a steep glacial terrace at 320–390 m in Bendigo. The vineyard is certified organic (Biogro).
What it tastes like
This wine is bright ruby in colour. The aromas on the nose are complex and unfold slowly, with dusty boysenberry, deep rose, dried herb and forest floor (the damp, earthy smell of a woodland).
On the palate there's red fruit, including cherry and blood orange, with violets and anise (a sweet, liquorice-like spice). Fine tannins carry the flavours to a long finish.
Style at a glance
- Body: medium
- Acidity: fresh
- Tannin: fine
- Oak: 17 months in barrel, 30% new
- Style: floral, red-fruited, herbal, fine-grained, long
Food to enjoy this with
Prophet's Rock suggests game birds, lamb and venison. Roast quail, rack of lamb with herbs, venison loin, duck breast with cherries and mushroom risotto all suit it. One unexpected match is a beetroot and goat's cheese tart, because the wine's earthy, herbal notes pick up the beetroot.
Who makes it
Prophet's Rock is in Bendigo, Central Otago. Paul Pujol is the winemaker, with François Millet as consultant winemaker for the wine.
The fruit is handpicked and destemmed, then fermented with wild yeast in small open-top tanks that are hand-plunged only once, so extraction stays very low. The wine spent 17 months in barrel (30% new) and went through malolactic fermentation (the conversion of sharp malic acid to softer lactic acid) with wild yeast. Yields are managed to about 4 t/ha.
About the vintage
Sophie Parker-Thomson (Master of Wine), writing for Jancis Robinson, described the 2023 Central Otago season as a dream lead-in, with very little rain from December to mid-February. A severe cold snap in late March slowed ripening and pushed the harvest window into late April.
She expected the finest wines from earlier-ripening areas like Bendigo, where this wine's fruit was picked in early April 2023.
When to drink it
Prophet's Rock recommends decanting this wine for full expression in its youth, and cellaring it for 10+ years from vintage.
Technical details
| Winery: |
Prophet's Rock |
| Wine: |
Cuvée aux Antipodes Pinot Noir |
| Vintage: |
2023 |
| Variety: |
Pinot Noir |
| Region: |
Central Otago (Bendigo) |
| Country: |
New Zealand |
| Alcohol: |
12.5% |
| Oak: |
17 months in barrel (30% new) |
| Fermentation: |
Wild yeast, hand-plunged once; wild malolactic fermentation |
| Closure: |
Diam cork |
| Organic: |
Biogro certified vineyard |
| Cellaring: |
10+ years from vintage |
Where to buy
For international delivery to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, the Prophet's Rock Cuvee Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir 2023 is available via our winenz.com website. For delivery in New Zealand you can purchase from thewineryonline.co.nz. If you are visiting New Zealand, you can also buy it at our Queenstown and Arrowtown wine stores, alongside a large range of New Zealand and international wine.
Questions we are often asked
What does Prophet's Rock Cuvee Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir 2023 taste like?
Prophet's Rock Cuvee Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir 2023 has dusty boysenberry, rose and dried herb aromas. The palate has cherry, blood orange, violets and anise, with fine tannins and a long finish.
Should I decant Cuvee Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir?
Yes. Prophet's Rock recommends decanting it for full expression in its youth.
How long can I cellar Prophet's Rock Cuvee Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir 2023?
Prophet's Rock recommends cellaring it for 10+ years from vintage.
How much Cuvee Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir 2023 was made?
Prophet's Rock made 13 barrels of the 2023 Cuvee Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir.
Where can I buy Prophet's Rock Cuvee Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir 2023?
The Winery ships Prophet's Rock Cuvee Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir 2023 internationally from winenz.com to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, and delivers within New Zealand from thewineryonline.co.nz. It is also available in our Queenstown and Arrowtown wine stores.
