Tasting wine in Johnsonville since 1980.
Thanks again to everyone who helps with the tables and chairs at the start of our evenings and taking the same down after the meeting. Also taking the tables contents: spittoons/water jugs/cracker plates back to the kitchen.
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.
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 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:
To help members have an easy payment method on the evening, there will be an EFTPOS machine to process orders.
Although our numbers were down a little with 27 attending, the evening went with well Rockburn’s Canadian Cellar Door Manager, Alex Crone being both informative and engaging.
The wines produced were a little different to what we are used to, which was exciting for a taste test, with a Fume’ Blanc on the menu for the evening! This was a blend that had been in old oak barrels and was advised as best being served just chilled a little bit. It could also be cellared for up to 10 years.
Their Pinot Gris had a lovely colour, due to half of the wine content having skin contact before being barrelled with the other half of the harvest. A nice touch that added to the taste experience.
Their chardonnay was in a Chablis style, with 60% being barrelled in neutral oak, so the wine didn’t have the normal oaky chardonnay taste we are more used to, none the less a taste experience.
We had the privilege of having a taste of their first vintage of Rockburn Crimson Peak Pinot Noir [2023] – a tasty drop, along with their ‘star wine’ the 2023 Rockburn Pinot Noir.
A reminder of the wines we tasted during the evening:
They no longer do a Reisling! But Alex advised that if you could pick up one of these from wine suppliers around Wellington, it was worth a try.