Tag: Devil’s Staircase

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October tasting – Rockburn, Central Otago w/Alex Crone, Cellar Door Manager, Sales & Marketing

Wednesday 8 October, 8 pm
Door Price: Members $18 / Guests $22

A pure expression of Central Otago

Alex comes from a background in hospitality and tourism back in Canada.

Moving to Aotearoa last year to pursue opportunities in the heart of Pinot Noir territory, Central Otago, she found her place at Rockburn. Alex has held positions from the cellar door to marketing but loves getting to chat about wines and finding the best fit for every individual palette-there’s a wine out there for everyone! When not at the winery, she spends her time in the
mountains skiing and hiking or diving deep into vintage jazz tracks and dances.

Gibbston Valley Back Road Vineyard reflect our unique terroir
Gibbston Valley Back Road Vineyard reflects the unique terroir.

Rockburn is a wine producer in the Central Otago region on the South Island of New Zealand. The estate makes a range of wines but is perhaps best-known for its award-winning Pinot Noirs – the flagship variety of region.

The winery was founded in 1991 by pioneering heart surgeon Dr. Richard (Dick) Bunton, who planted some of the first vines near Lake Hayes. Over the years, Rockburn expanded its vineyard holdings, with significant sites in Gibbston and Parkburn/Pisa on the shores of Lake Dunstan. In 2002, the brand name changed from Hayes Lake to Rockburn, reflecting the rugged, schist-laden terrain and the region’s distinctive character.

Today, Rockburn remains proudly independent, with the James and Halford families as key stakeholders. Longstanding winemaker Malcolm Rees-Francis, who joined the team in 2005, continues to lead the winemaking, focusing on minimal intervention and precision to express site and season. A new winery opened in 2016, designed around Rees-Francis’ winemaking approach. This year marks his 20th vintage at Rockburn.

Rockburn’s signature varietals, crafted to highlight vibrant purity and cool-climate elegance of Central Otago.
Rockburn’s signature varietals are crafted to highlight the vibrant purity and cool-climate elegance of Central Otago.

Rockburn produces a diverse portfolio of wines, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and the Stolen Kiss Rosé, alongside other labels such as Crimson Peak and Devil’s Staircase. All wines are made at the Cromwell winery, with fruit sourced from premium vineyards across Gibbston and Parkburn/Pisa.

Wines for the night are:

  • 2025 Stolen Kiss Rose’
  • 2024 Pinot Gris
  • 2024 Fume’ Blanc
  • 2023 Chardonnay
  • 2023 Crimson Peak
  • 2023 Pinot Noir
  • 2022 The Art Pinot Noir

To help members have an easy payment method on the evening, there will be an EFTPOS machine to process orders.

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Western Hills Wine Society Rockburn evening, Aug ’24

Six of our Club joined Western Hills Wine Society for a Rockburn evening.

The Western Hills Wine Society sent an invitation to us, which was shared along
with our last newsletter, to join them for their wine club evening hosted by
Rockburn from Central Otago. The presenter was one of their wine-making
team, Malcolm Rees-Francis.

Rockburn specialises in Pinot Noir, but the wines for the evening were:

  • 2023 Rockburn Stolen Kiss Rose
  • Rockburn Amber is a Pinot Gris fermented like a Pinot Noir
  • Rockburn Chardonnay
  • Devil’s Staircase Pinot Noir
  • 2023 Rockburn Pinot Noir
  • 2022 Rockburn Eleven Barrels Pinot Noir
  • 2022 Rockburn Twelve Barrels Pinot Noir
  • 2022 Rockburn The Art Pinot Noir

We were asked to keep a little of each of the Pinot Noirs in our glasses for a vertical tasting as they rolled out. As always, it was an interesting comparison, with some divergence as to which was best.

The Amber wine was called an ‘orange wine,’ and this type of wine originates from the Georgia area of Europe. It is an interesting tipple with a nice orangey colour, slightly murky, i.e., not filtered when it left the barrel, and the Pinot Gris has spent a year in oak. This wine is built to age over ten years if you like to cellar it.

It was an interesting and fun evening with a welcoming crowd.

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