Cuvee Aux Antipodes by Prophet’s Rock
— Portfolio —
BLANC CHARDONNAY 2020
Bottle shot
Francois and Paul decided to make this inaugural Cuvee Aux Antipodes Blanc (Chardonnay) in 2018. This 2020 bottling will be the third vintage release.
2020 was a cool vintage in the region. High natural acids. This was the year that Lake Wanaka actually flooded the town due to the huge amounts of rain. Due to the rainfall it created alot of snow, so temperatures were alot lower than normal so vines just bunkered down and didn’t want to flower. Quality was very good due to the reduced number of bunches per vine. Jan and Feb was actually good weather so end result was a great wine, albeit tiny amounts. Yield was very low, under 20.5 hect/hct.
Hand-picked, whole bunch pressed. Combined pressing and free run pre ferment. Settled, racked off heavy lees before going into barrel. Primary ferment went through fine, but due to the cold temperatures it took a long time to go through malolactic. Wine spent 22 months in barrel. No battonage. Racked off to tank 6 months before bottling. The one new barrel out of the 9 barrels used was Remond (Troncais forest) in Ladoix Serrangy, Medium toast. Same barrel as Francois would use for the Musigny Blanc at Comte de Vogue.
Paul and Francois reminded me that this extended elevage is definitely ab-normal for this wine (2019 was as long as 30 months), an anomaly due to the cold conditions. Also for those of you wondering how much Francois was involved due to being unable to travel to New Zealand for the past 2 years courtesy of COVID Paul sends samples of both the Blanc and Pinot Noir every 4 to 6 weeks back to Burgundy for Francois to review and then discuss with Paul.
François Millet notes – “This wine is the reflect of the Clutha river flowing just below, mineral, transparent and luminous. There is nothing exotic, “artificial” or “made up” about the expression of this wine. That shows again the link between what is emanating from the land, the feeling you have from it and the expression of the wines. Often is the Chardonnay the spirit of the land, the Pinot Noir coming from the same place being the body”
BLANC CHARDONNAY 2021
Bottle shot
Low, low yields in 2021, just 7.6 hect/hct. More of a typical vintage in Otago but Paul describes a ‘hangover’ from the 2020 vintage ie due to the “4 horseman of the apocalypse of rain, wind, snow and hail the vines weren’t back up to full steam, so again a lower yield. A patchy summer, with rain. Good February and early March which really helped the vintage. Very stable temperatures across these two months.
The 2021 is the forth release from this partnership between Francois Millet & Paul Pujol. The 2021 feels a little more like the 2018, perhaps more delicate than the 2019 and 2020. Paul recommends a decent for this vintage. 2021 was actually bottled before the 2020, due the 2020 still being in tank/going through malo, awaiting Francois’s green light to bottle.
The site itself called Kopuwai Delta vineyard is across from the Home Vineyard in Pisa (the opposite side of the valley to Bendigo). 1 hectare of Chardonnay was planted in 2004 then an additional 0.7 hectare block in 2016 totalling 1.7 hectares that Prophet’s Rock manage.
The vineyard itself is on a flat terrace at the bottom of these slopes on the western bank of the valley. A mixed of Schist from the mountains behind and river stone/fine gravel from the alluvial wash on the valley floor. 225 meters elevation.
Hand-picked, whole bunch pressed. Combined pressing and free run pre ferment. Settled, racked off heavy lees before going into barrel. Primary ferment finished by Spring. Wine spent 17 months in barrel. No battonage. Racked off fine lees after summer (10 months), then a second winter in barrel (7 months), total 17 months elevage.
Racked into tank for one month before bottling. The one new barrel (15% of total blend) out of the 6 barrels used was Remond (Troncais forest) in Ladoix Serrangy, Medium toast. Same barrel as Francois would use for the Musigny Blanc at Comte de Vogue.
2020 was a cool vintage in the region. High natural acids. This was the year that Lake Wanaka actually flooded the town due to the huge amounts of rain. Due to the rainfall it created alot of snow, so temperatures were alot lower than normal so vines just bunkered down and didn’t want to flower. Quality was very good due to the reduced number of bunches per vine. Jan and Feb was actually good weather so end result was a great wine, albeit tiny amounts.
100% destemmed from one parcel (same every year) from the home vineyard at Prophet’s Rock. It’s a single clone, 777 and from the most sheltered part of the lower terrace. 1 hectare parcel. This site has approximately 80cm before the vines meet the Clay and Pedogenic limestone mother rock. Vinified in open top 4.5 ton fermenters, 2 meters wide, 1.5 metre high specifically for wider cap.
Approximately 7 days pre ferment soak. One plunge by hand which is two thirds way through the ferment (main extraction of the vintage) and a gentle “pump through”, not pump over Paul is keen to stress towards the end. Pressed when dry, free run and pressings together.
Aged in 33% new oak for 17 months. Racked cask to cask, unfiltered. Remond (Allier), same Francois uses in Burgundy.
“The vineyard sits on a high elevation (320 – 390m), steep glacial terrace high above the valley floor. The site features some of the oldest vineyard soils in the valley with the formation of the terrace occurring approximately 650K years ago. The soil age and dry Central Otago climate have combined to create the unusual clay and pedogenic lime soil structure. Beneath layers of clay at a depth of 50-80cm sits a thick layer of chalk. The total 7.5ha site of the home vineyard was prepared and planted between 1999-2001 and the parcel of Pinot Noir for this wine (cuvee aux antipodes) is a single clone at the western end of the steep front face. Full organic certification (Biogro) was completed prior to the 2018 vintage” – Paul Pujol – Owner