PROPHET’S ROCK OLEARIA PINOT NOIR 2024

Winery notes (2024 Vintage)
"Olearia Lineata is a small dense tree with elegant fine branches and tiny drought­ resistant leaves that once carpeted the valley floors of Central Otago. We are fortunate to have large numbers of these officially ‘at-risk’ trees in and around both our Bendigo vineyards and continue to plant more.

Pale cherry to ruby toned, and bright in colour. The constantly evolving aromatics show brambly red fruits including raspberry, with rose and subtle violet florals, underpinned by some mocha and wet slate. On the palate, there is a real presence and personality from this steep, schist-based site – a drive and energy that highlights and adds to the fruit profile on the nose. The bright raspberry and red fruit notes are joined by juicy black peach, mandarin citrus, and more spices. There is a linear, ethereal structure that takes you through to the graphite mineral, almost saline finish, very long with lingering roses and red fruits. The energy and structure of this wine makes it a great match with tuna, lamb, and game.

This wine has been sourced exclusively from the highest elevation parcels on our Rocky Point Vineyard, located in the hills of Bendigo sub-region, Central Otago. Perched at the rugged southern end of Bendigo, the Rocky Point Vineyard has some of the steepest planted blocks in Central Otago. The site rises from 226 metres to 351 metres, walking through the vines one feels the land drop away very sharply to the blue waters of Lake Dunstan below.

The metamorphic parent material of Central Otago forms the soil here, schist rock in varying degrees of decomposition – from solid slabs to pockets of fine clay. The site has very low vigour and small yields are the norm. Despite low organic matter, the soils have high mineral content so the small vines seldom show any deficiency.

The handpicked fruit is destemmed and fermented using only indigenous ‘wild’ yeast. A key feature of our vinification is extremely low extraction, all our small open top tanks are only hand-plunged once during fermentation. The wine then spends 17 months in barrel (35% new) and undergoes indigenous malolactic fermentation."

Reviews for the 2023 vintage below…

96+/100 Erin Larkin, RobertParker.com, Wine Advocate, June 2025 (2023 Vintage)
"The 2023 Olearia Pinot Noir hails from a steep, rocky point in the vineyard (the vineyard is called Rocky Point, aptly named), overlooking the Clutha River below and the Pisa range on the other side of the valley. It seems to me an achievement for the vines to prosper in this cool, elevated and bony site, and their low-yielding manner is testament to the fight they engage in for survival and prosperity. I love it here; it feels every inch the mountainous region that it is. It is atmospheric and impactful, as is the wine. So, this is denser and more compact than the Sophora tasted alongside it; the tannins are infused into every aspect of the fruit here. There are three Dijon clones in this vineyard site, 115, 667, 777, and Abel as well. "I find the clones become less of a deal as the vines get older. It tends to be more important where they are than what's on the end of the post," says Winemaker Paul Pujol. This has such velvet plushness, but the tannins feel so dry and pliable within the folds of fruit. The acidity is fresh and seems to lead directly into the tannins, which linger through the finish. I do love these wines."

95/100 Emma Jenkins MW, Decanter UK, October 2025 (2021 Vintage)
"A restrained nose but there is a lot going on here nonetheless. Prophet’s Rock’s wines are never showy, taking their time to unfurl in the glass, and equally they reward patience in the bottle. Black cherry, wild raspberry, damson, orange peel, clove and oak spice, lots of iodine and earth; there’s plenty of fruit intensity, but this is most definitely not a fruity wine. Dry and savoury with tight tannins and plenty of presence on a surprisingly delicate framework. Great length. Olearia, named for a native flowering shrub, is made in the same manner as the Home Vineyard but is sourced just around the corner from a parcel of vines at the top of the steep and aptly named Rocky Point vineyard, whose schist slopes have a spectacular view across Lake Dunstan."

95/100 JamesSuckling.com (2023 Vintage)
"Very subtle aromas of flowers, peaches and lavender follow through to a medium body with fine tannins that are integrated and fresh. Fruit is vivid and delicious. Drink it now and enjoy, but it will improve with age."