The 2016 vintage yielded beautiful fruit from each of our sites, which we have simply guided gently through to the bottle with minimal handling. Our “hands-off” approach delivers a pure expression of Central Otago to your glass; an expressive nose and deeply fruited palate displaying vibrant notes of red and black cherry, rich mocha and supple, silky tannins leading into a very long finish. As always this wine shows classic Rockburn elegance, integrity and balance. Enjoy with friends over the next 4-9 years. Fermented in 7-ton fermenters, 5 to 7 days cold maceration; fermentation over 1 week with daily plunging followed by post-fermentation maceration for 7 to 14 days. Some batches made good use of whole bunch inclusion.

The 2016 Pinot Noir represents a pure expression of Central Otago as a blend of their Parkburn Vineyard in Lowburn (86%) and Gibbston Backroad site (14%) and it’s been already rated 5 stars and 95 points by Master of Wine Bob Campbell describing it as “another winner from Rockburn”. “The 2016 vintage is made from very high-quality fruit with excellent physiological ripeness allowing for a generous inclusion of whole bunches in the ferment, adding spice and texture to the wine, and further complexity and harmony was encouraged with extended maturation in barrel for 18 months”, according to winemaker Malcolm Rees-Francis.