New Zealand recently lost its claim to the world’s most southerly vineyards to upstart Argentina. But the most southerly wine-growing areas, such as Central Otago, are still well south, comparable in fact to the northerly latitude of Beaune. Given that the soil is somewhat similar to Burgundy’s too, it’s not entirely surprising that Pinot Noir prospers here.
Rockburn general manager Tim Severne, Milk Beach, September 2024
To taste some of the increasing array of posh wines from boutique producer Rockburn, we’re invited to Milk Beach, an Australian-themed London restaurant. There’s no suitable New Zealand alternative in London yet, according to our host, Rockburn’s general manager, Tim Severne.
Rockburn produces 45,000 cases a year. Whatever you think of the points ratings for wine, it’s always encouraging to see some 96s and 97s on the tasting list. Rockburn has recently been scooping up gold medals for its wine which, while not exactly cheap, are not wildly expensive either.
The producer planted its first vines in 1991 and now has 42ha spread over two vineyards: one on the Gibbston Back Road in the Gibston Valley and the other at Parkburn in the Cromwell Basin.
We kick off, not with a red, but the Rockburn Pinot Gris 2023 (ABV 13%, £21.65 a bottle retail). Severne explains, rather immodestly, that this has been a ‘wild success’ in the UK. There’s a little oak ageing and on the nose there is peach and nectarine. It has a texture, weight and richness which will appeal to (almost) anyone with taste buds. A crowd pleaser and a tremendous food wine.
From here we move up to the Pinot Noirs. The Devil’s Staircase Pinot Noir 2023 (ABV 13.5%, £21.00) is named after a winding path from which in bygone years sheep fell to a watery death in the lake below. This is the firm’s biggest seller in the UK - Severne suggests rightly that it would be perfect lightly chilled in the summer. It has almost spicy aromas and is a good introduction to the reds.
But, for my money, the Rockburn Pinot Noir 2022 (ABV 14 %, £31.00) is where the quality starts to show itself. The wine is aged in oak: a third in new barrels, a third in one-year-old and a third older still. There’s cherry and mocha, a great mouthfeel and the tannins are super-supple. That’s a character we meet even more insistently further up the range in the reserve wines which have earned ratings of between 94 and 96 points.
The wines are The Chosen 777 Pinot Noir 2022 and the Twelve Barrels Gibbston Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022. Both have an ABV of 14.0% and will arrive in the UK in October with a price tag of around £65 a bottle. The former comes in individually numbered bottles from only 1000 that are produced each year. The latter does what it says on the tin, or rather the barrel. The wine is chosen from the best dozen barrels and magicked up into the best possible product, with no attempt made at consistency in flavour profile year on year.
Both wines are luscious, with coffee bean and a touch of liquorice and those lovely supple tannins. There’s red fruit, plus floral and earthy notes.
In a way, New Zealand’s deep south holds out a rather similar promise to South Africa’s Hemel-en-Aarde region. To discerning quaffers who don’t have total disregard for value for money these southerly regions of the southern hemisphere can provide choice Pinot Noirs with the quality of some fine Burgundy’s but without leaving a hole in your wallet.
Hallgarten & Novum Wines distributes Rockburn in the UK and is a commercial partner of The Buyer. To discover more about them click here.
