Central Otago boutique producer Rockburn Wines releases their 2016 Pinot Noir trio this month including the highly anticipated 2016 vintage of their flagship Pinot Noir as well as their top-end limited edition 2016 Pinot Noirs, Seven Barrels and the Art.
The Pinot Noir trio represents a pure expression of Central Otago covering three of the key sub-regions of this premium wine growing region.
The 2016 vintage of Rockburn's signature Pinot Noir is a blend of their Parkburn Vineyard in Lowburn (86 percent) and Gibbston Backroad site (14 percent) 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 very limited edition Seven Barrels Pinot Noir is made entirely from fruit of their Gibbston vineyard. The single-vineyard wine spent 18 months in oak with two out of the seven barrels being new oak, displaying great levels of complexity and subtlety representative for the cooler Gibbston sub-region.
The Art is an exploration series and the result of winemaker Malcolm Francis-Rees practicing his artistry, crafting a limited-edition Pinot Noir from other sites and sub-regions in Central Otago.
"The 2016 vintage is made from very high-quality fruit in Bannockburn 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", said Malcolm.
