Prophet's Rock Home Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024 is a Central Otago Pinot Noir from the organically certified Home Vineyard in Bendigo. This wine has aromas of peony, violets, cherry and boysenberry with anise and cedar, and a very long, textured finish. It suits Pinot Noir drinkers who enjoy a complex, layered style.
This wine takes time to open, so give it air by swirling it in the glass. Then the flowers come first, from peony rose to violets, followed by cherry and boysenberry, with anise, cedar and black tea leaf underneath.
Prophet's Rock made 33 barrels of the 2024 from its own vineyard. It's a wine for a slow dinner where there's time to watch it change in the glass.
The Home Vineyard sits up in the hills of Bendigo and has been certified organic (Biogro) since 2018. Clay and pedogenic lime (lime formed in the soil itself) soils, with chalk at 50–80 cm depth, make it quite different from the schist sites Prophet's Rock also farms.
What it tastes like
This wine is a deep, profound ruby colour. The aromas on the nose are very complex and open slowly, with peony rose and violets, cherries and boysenberries, and anise (a sweet, liquorice-like spice), cedar and black tea leaf mixed in.
On the palate there's violets and anise again, joined by blood orange, juicy boysenberry and red cherry. The finish is very long and textured.
Style at a glance
- Body: medium
- Acidity: fresh
- Oak: 17 months in barrel, 35% new
- Style: floral, layered, red and dark cherry, spiced, long
Food to enjoy this with
Prophet's Rock suggests duck, venison and lamb. Slow-roasted duck legs, venison loin with a red wine jus, roast lamb rump with rosemary, mushroom and thyme pie and a wild mushroom risotto all suit it. One unexpected match is a plate of salami and aged cheddar, because the wine's acidity and spice keep up with both.
Who makes it
Prophet's Rock is in Bendigo, Central Otago. Paul Pujol is the winemaker.
The Home Vineyard covers 7.5 ha at 320–390 m elevation and has 7 clones of Pinot Noir plus 0.5 ha of Pinot Gris. Yields are managed at 30–35 hl/ha. The fruit is handpicked and destemmed, then fermented with wild yeast in open-top tanks that are hand-plunged only once, so extraction stays low. The wine spends 17 months in barrel (35% new) and goes through malolactic fermentation (the conversion of sharp malic acid to softer lactic acid) with wild yeast.
About the vintage
Stephen Wong (Master of Wine), writing in The Real Review, described the 2024 Central Otago vintage as one of exceptional concentration and structure. Budburst came about a week early, and frost in early October damaged some fruit. The summer was dry from December to February, which produced small berries with concentrated flavour.
Cooler weather in March slowed ripening, giving the fruit longer on the vine. Wong noted that flavour ripeness came at moderate sugar levels with balanced acidity. The Home Vineyard fruit for this wine was picked from 2 to 9 April 2024.
Technical details
| Winery: |
Prophet's Rock |
| Wine: |
Home Vineyard Pinot Noir |
| Vintage: |
2024 |
| Variety: |
Pinot Noir |
| Region: |
Central Otago (Bendigo) |
| Country: |
New Zealand |
| Alcohol: |
13.5% |
| Oak: |
17 months in barrel (35% new) |
| Fermentation: |
Wild yeast, hand-plunged once; wild malolactic fermentation |
| Closure: |
Diam cork |
| Organic: |
Biogro certified vineyard, since 2018 |
Where to buy
For international delivery to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, the Prophet's Rock Home Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024 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 Home Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024 taste like?
Prophet's Rock Home Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024 shows peony, violets, cherry and boysenberry with anise, cedar and black tea. The palate adds blood orange, and the finish is very long and textured.
Is the Prophet's Rock Home Vineyard organic?
Yes. The Home Vineyard in Bendigo has been Biogro certified organic since 2018.
How much Home Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024 was made?
Prophet's Rock made 33 barrels of the 2024 Home Vineyard Pinot Noir.
How is Prophet's Rock Home Vineyard Pinot Noir made?
The fruit is handpicked, destemmed and fermented with wild yeast, with a single hand-plunge during fermentation. It ages for 17 months in barrel, 35% of them new.
Where can I buy Prophet's Rock Home Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024?
The Winery ships Prophet's Rock Home Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024 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.
