Rockburn 2013 Fumé Blanc, 2012 Pinot Noir and Ten Barrels Pinot Noir

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• Rockburn Central Otago Fumé Blanc 2013
  Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand - Otago

  Review Date : 13-Jul-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  A barrel-selection wine. Fruit from the ‘Parkburn’ vineyard, fully barrel-fermented with indigenous yeasts and no sulphur additions to 13.0% alc., and <1 g/L RS, the wine aged 18 months in French oak barriques, undergoing MLF. Full straw-yellow colour with golden hues and some depth. This has an intensely concentrated and individual nose of ripe yellow and green stonefruits with a complex array of aromatics showing fresh, dark herbs, minerals, spices and fresh ginger. Dry to taste and medium-full bodied, a complex and deep core reveals layers of interwoven flavours of green stonefruits, fresh ginger, herbs and spices. The mouthfeel exudes vitality, with fresh, piquant acidity lifting the fruit flavours, and grainy textures provide structure, grip, presence and line. Oaking is integral, allowing the detail to show, adding to the dryness on palate. This has a very long, lingering finish with herbs, spices and toasty elements. This is a complex, detailed, oak-influenced Sauvignon Blanc with an array of stonefruit and spicy flavours and grainy textures. Match with herb-marinated seafood and white meat dishes over the next 5+ years. 140 cases made. 18.5/20 Jul 2014 RRP $39.99
• Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2012
  Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Otago

  Review Date : 13-Jul-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Full, dark ruby-red colour with youthful purple hues, lighter on rim. The nose is elegantly concentrated with refined and precise aromas of ripe dark cherry and berry fruits entwined with layers of spices, dark herbs and oak toast. Complex mineral, earth and floral nuances emerge providing interest and detail. Medium-bodied, elegantly concentrated and finely proportioned flavours of dark red cherries are infused with herbs, spices and toasty oak notes. The palate has focus, precision and considerable drive, with very fine-textured tannin extraction and well-integrated, harmonious acidity. There is excellent fruit sweetness carrying the flavours, leading to a very long, lingering finish with oak toast nuances. This is an elegantly concentrated, sweet fruited Pinot Noir with focus and precision, and subtle spice and toast complexities. Match with Middle Eastern fare and grilled poultry, pork and lamb dishes over the next 5-7+ years. Clones 10/5, 5, 6, 115, 667 and 777, 85% from Parkburn and 15% from Gibbston, given a cold soak and fermented with a portion of whole clusters to 14.4% alc, the wine on skins up to 21 days and aged 10 months in 35% new French oak. 6,100 cases made. 18.5+/20 Jul 2014 RRP $49.99
• Rockburn ‘Ten Barrels’ Central Otago Pinot Noir 2012
  Pinot Noir from New Zealand - Otago

  Review Date : 13-Jul-2014

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Clones 5 and 6 from the ‘Gibbston Back Road’ vineyard, given a cold soak and co-fermented to 13.5% alc., the wine spending 24 days on skins and aged 14 months in 30% new French oak barrels. Full, even, dark ruby-red colour with light purple hues on rim. The nose is tightly bound with subtle aromas of dark red cherry fruit entwined with clear minerally elements and delicate, cool-spectrum herbal nuances. The aromatics build in concentration, forming a dense core with an amalgam of herbs, earth and minerals adding complexing notes. Medium-bodied and elegant in presence, lifted red cherry and berry fruit flavours are melded with aromatic and savoury herbs, stalk nuances and minerals. The fruit has sweetness, balanced by supple, fine-grained tannins, and enlivened by piquant acidity, and flows with linear drive. The wine carries through to a lively, lush lingering finish with fine dry textures. This is an elegant, sweet-fruited, classical Gibbston Pinot Noir expressed with real transparency. Serve with poultry and pork over the next 5-6+ years. 240 cases and 50 magnums bottled. 18.5+/20 Jul 2014 RRP $96.00