PROPHET’S ROCK PINOT GRIS 2025

Prophet's Rock Pinot Gris is consistently one of New Zealand's best Pinot Gris.

Winery notes (2025 Vintage)
"Pinot Gris has always been a strong focus for Prophet’s Rock. We farm our aromatic whites to the same high standard in the vineyard as our top Pinot Noir and take time through all aspects of production to ensure that the wine we release is the best reflection of the site it can be.

Rocky Point, Bendigo, Central Otago (47%); Kopuwai Vineyard, Pisa, Central Otago (49%); Home Vineyard, Bendigo, Central Otago (4%). The grapes for this wine are hand-picked from our estate vineyards with the predominate source being the Rocky Point Vineyard. This site has warm free- draining, predominantly schist soils with some of the steepest planted blocks in Central Otago.

The handpicked fruit is 100% whole-bunch pressed over 5-6 hours and fermented using only indigenous ‘wild’ yeast in old barrels. Fermentation typically takes 3-4 months and the finished wine is then aged without racking on gross lees until bottling just before the following vintage.

Shining white gold in colour, the vibrant and richly perfumed nose opens with Poire William, white peach, and white rose florals. Cardamon spice, and delicate preserved lemon citrus compliment the pear and stonefruit.

The bright and complex palate opens with pear and white stonefruit, with guava notes and spice. The rich aromatics are supported by a wonderful, structured mouthfeel which carries this wine through to a very long and textured finish balanced with a lot of freshness. This wine unfolds and opens to reveal even more complexity over the course of the bottle.

The texture, freshness and vibrant aromatics make this an extremely versatile food wine, working well with a huge range of food. From shellfish and seafood, through to white meats, spiced dishes, cheeses, and fruit-based deserts. Cellar with confidence for 10+ years."

Reviews for previous vintages below…

96/100 Emma Jenkins MW, Decanter UK, June 2026 (2023 Vintage)
"Very spicy, with ginger, jasmine, ripe pear, waxy honey, quince and yellow peach, wet stones and dried hay, but while there’s intense fruit here, this isn't a fruity wine; it has a wonderful savoury richness running through the nose and palate. Off-dry with good intensity, a strong acid spine and good use of phenolics to both anchor and balance. Very long and textural. Rich, but not heavy. Evolves beautifully in the glass. Fermented and matured in older oak, on lees."

93/100 David Walker Bell, WineFolio.co.nz, April 2024 (2022 Vintage)
"A wine from Bendigo in Central Otago, that is often recognised as one of NZ’s best examples of the varietal. Fragrance is one of the key elements to a great Pinot Gris (alongside texture) in my opinion, and there is a complex set of flavours on show here. Citrus and spice come first, but there’s a richer baked pear, peach and brioche note underneath, and a lift of honeysuckle florals. A chalky minerality come into the medium-bodied palate that has enough concentration but doesn’t overwhelm the spaces in between that allow movement and complexity to bloom as you head towards the spicy, pithy finish. "

5 Stars Michael Cooper (2021 Vintage)
"The powerful, delicious 2021 vintage was estate-grown and hand-picked in the Cromwell Basin – at Bendigo (58 per cent) and Pisa (42 per cent) – and fermented and lees-aged in old oak barrels. Bright, light lemon/green, it is an Alsace-style Pinot Gris, sturdy and rich, with concentrated, ripe, peachy, slightly spicy flavours, showing a distinct touch of complexity, unobtrusive sweetness (6.4 grams/litre of residual sugar), balanced acidity and a finely textured, very harmonious finish. Drink now or cellar."

94/100 Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, August 2023 (2021 Vintage)
"Mellow, smooth-textured pinot gris with pear drop, lanolin, honeysuckle and subtle root ginger/yeast lees flavours supported by refreshing acidity and fine, ripe, drying tannins. Impressive wine with a dry, lingering finish."

93/100 Mike Bennie, The Wine Front, December 2022 (2021 Vintage)
"Scents that start stony and savoury, a whiff of kombu and mushroom over peach, pear fruitiness. The palate has nashi pear, a lick of pink grapefruit freshness, halva and cashew nutty savouriness, a lick of truffle-like quality too. Slippery texture that draws long and finishes with lingering sweet spice and a little stony mineral quality. Excellent here, but drink young."

4 ½ Stars Yvonne Lorkin, December 2022 (2021 Vintage)
"Winemaker Paul Pujol has once again created an absolutely stunning pinot gris from fruit grown in the ‘schist-happens’ clay and chalk soils of their Rocky Point and Home vineyard in Bendigo, on some of the steepest slopes in the region. Fermented using wild, indigenous yeasts and matured on its yeast lees, it has incredible freshness and purity, yet has a deep, creamy, nutty, smouldering complexity on the finish. Nashi, quince, Golden Delicious apples, macadamia nuts, and hints of strudel spice and warm pastry make this absolutely glorious to gulp."