A Bendigo, Central Otago winery with estate-grown Pinot Noir and single-block Cuvée Aux Antipodes Chardonnay.
The producer
Prophet's Rock works from Home Vineyard, Rocky Point Vineyard and Kopuwai Delta Vineyard in Bendigo. Home Vineyard Pinot Noir is made from destemmed fruit with indigenous yeast and extremely low extraction, then spends 17 months in barrel. Cuvée Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir comes from one Home Vineyard parcel planted to a single Pinot Noir clone. Its Chardonnay comes from a 1.8-hectare block at Kopuwai Delta.
Known for
Single-vineyard Bendigo Pinot Noir
Notable facts
Prophet's Rock was founded in the late 1990s and named for a nineteenth-century gold prospector.
Paul Pujol joined the winery in 2005 after working in France and the United States.
The 2022 Cuvée Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir can be decanted when young and cellared for at least ten years from vintage.
The 2023 Cuvée Aux Antipodes Chardonnay spent 19 months in barrel, with 13% new oak.
From the atlas
Prophet's Rock
A Bendigo, Central Otago winery working from three estate vineyards.
At A Glance
Region
Bendigo, Central Otago
Estate vineyards
Home Vineyard, Rocky Point, Kopuwai Delta
Vineyard focus
Soil health and biodiversity
Cellar
Fine-grained, medium-toast barrels
The Producer
Founded in the late 1990s, Prophet's Rock takes its name from a nineteenth-century gold prospector. Paul Pujol joined in 2005 after working in France and the United States.
Vineyard management focuses on soil health and biodiversity. In the cellar, the winery selects fine-grained, medium-toast barrels.
Place
The winery sits in Bendigo, a subregion of Central Otago, where it grows low-yielding fruit. Its estate comprises Home Vineyard, Rocky Point Vineyard and Kopuwai Delta Vineyard.
Home Vineyard occupies a north-facing terrace above Bendigo Station Homestead. Its slopes rise from 320 metres to almost 400 metres and contain schist, quartz, clay and a subsurface lens of chalk. Rocky Point is planted to Pinot Noir, Riesling and Pinot Gris on shallow soils.
Wines
Home Vineyard Pinot Noir has come exclusively from Home Vineyard since its first release in 2005. Destemmed fruit ferments with indigenous yeast under extremely low extraction, then spends 17 months in barrel, 35% new, with indigenous malolactic fermentation.
The 2022 Cuvée Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir comes from one Home Vineyard parcel: a single Pinot Noir clone on the western end of the steep front face. It can be decanted when young and cellared for at least ten years from vintage. Rocky Point Pinot Noir also appears in the range.
The 2023 Cuvée Aux Antipodes Chardonnay comes from a 1.8-hectare Chardonnay block at Kopuwai Delta Vineyard. Whole-bunch-pressed fruit ferments in barrel with indigenous yeast and ages there for 19 months, 13% in new oak. Lemon citrus, yellow stone fruit, mealy wheat and white jasmine lead into yellow fruit, lemon curd and roasted wheat on a chalky palate, with lingering pithy stone fruit and citrus.
Final Word
Paul Pujol's 2009 collaboration with François Millet brought an emphasis on terroir expression and gentle fruit handling to a winery whose grapes are all hand-harvested.