The Judge Rock vision is elegant sensuous intimate Pinot Noir
Our vineyard of 4 hectares is planted with 12,500 Pinot Noir and 2500 St Laurent vines with the oldest vines planted in 1998.
The first planting was by John Patrick Joseph Jacobson ( Paul’s Dad) in late 1998. The vineyard is on a westerly face slope down in the sheltered Alexandra basin in Central Otago New Zealand.
We have the extremes of winter frosts -12C and summer heat 35C with cool continental climate nights.
Our growing season starts in early October with bud burst in the first or second week and picking in early to mid April depending on the season.
The rows of vines are angled to the north west to balance the sun light on both sides of the vines from veraison to picking. The vines are at 1.4m to 1.2m spacing with 2.5m row widths to accommodate the former Massey Ferguson 35 red tractor.
Vines are bud rubbed, shoot thinned, tucked up, leaves removed, grape thinned and shoulder trimmed and picked, all by hand.
Grapes on vines are left to develop flavours around 24 brix. Nervous time for us vintners dodging frosts and rain in Autumn!
From veraison our night temperatures are cooler than the Cromwell basin which retains the fruit freshness and elegant aromatics of our Pinot Noir
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A Year in the Vineyard |
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| October: | Start sulphur spray regime. Every 1- 2 weeks until nets go on in February. Bud burst is usually first to second week of October. Shoot thinning –removal of shoots to 2 per spur preferably one either side. Ensure there is an adequate gap between each spur for shoots to develop uncrowded. Ensure that area below the crown is not too crowded. Remove shoots at bottom of trunk Bud rub shoots up trunk Planting or replanting |
| November: | Continue shoot removal Check for blocked drippers Lifting of tuck wires Remove shoots at bottom of trunk |
| December: | Continue shoot removal Remove laterals Lifting of tuck wires Straightening and untangling of vines |
| January: | Lifting of tuck wires Straightening and untangling of vines Putting in clips Leaf plucking remove laterals so that fruit has light and air around Take down irrigators Trim vines |
| February: | Put on nets- tie down and secure Check and repair nets Put up irrigators Lifting of tuck wires Putting in clips Fruit thinning and removal of shoulders Checking drippers |
| March: | Remove second set & green/unripe fruit |
| April: | Harvest and party – now the winemaker’s work begins |
| May: | Take down irrigators Take off nets Label and put away nets Vineyard clean up Remove sleeves and stakes no longer required Put up irrigators |
| June: | Pruning- removal of cane down to 2 buds per spur. Spurs spaced length of secateurs apart Remove any spurs pointing down, or off to the side. Leave one spur down trunk below crown. Training- check cordon wrap is firm and rewrap or wrap new cane if required Younger vines 2 bud at base, choke tie or wrap . Cut off any shoots down trunk. Clean out sleeves of younger vines |
| July and August: | Pruning & training |
| September: | Remove sleeves and stakes no longer required Pruning completed Tidy up vineyard Drop tuck wires |
Steps in Pinot Noir Production
Our grapes are hand picked mid April with brix content around 25brix.
Note climate warming has brought forward this date by 2 weeks in the last twenty years.
Our Pinot Noir clones consist of
- 19% 10/5
- 29% Dijon mix 113,114, & 115, clones
- 21% Pommard 5, 6 and 13 clone
- 31% and 667 and 777 clones
Our Pinot Noir wine making consists of the following:
- 90-95% destem with 5-10% whole bunches depending on the year
- 100% whole berries
- one week cold soak at 10-14C in stainless steel open topped fermentor,
- wild yeast ferments from our indigenous yeast
- 8 day ferment with temperatures 25-32C
- 10-14 days post ferment on skins to extract colour and soften the tannins.
It is then lightly settled and raked to French oak barrels (one third new oak, one third year two, & one third years’ three and four year old barrels)
The malolactic fermentation occurs in the barrels to soften the wine and the wine spends 10-11 months in barrel.
The wine is settled prior to bottling.
We find our Pinot Noir wine needs 18 months bottle aging to reapproach it’s excellence in barrel.
Our wines are gently crafted at Vinpro in Cromwell under the stewardship of a team of New Zealand’s most experienced oenologists/winemakers- with our oversight of the winemaking based on Paul experience from Benjamin Leroux of Burgundy.
Judge Rock Cottage Accommodation
Come along and experience a home away from home in our self contained Cottage. Enjoy vineyard accommodation at its finest. Large, spacious open plan living areas make this cottage the perfect place to relax, unwind and entertain both inside and out. Enjoy the comfort of cottage living and wake up to stunning panoramic views. Sleeping 6, the Judge Rock Cottage is in a prime location to enjoy the Central Otago Rail Trail and other attractions in and around Central Otago. If you are looking for short term accommodation with a difference then the Judge Rock Cottage is your place to relax, with beautiful views of the vineyard right at your back door. To find out more and to book your stay do not hesitate to contact us.
This self contained cottage has everything you need to make the most of your time in Central Otago. With the freedom to come and go as you please with private access and parking, and with the Alexandra Golf Course and Rail Trail at your doorstep, there is plenty to keep you occupied. The Alexandra town centre is also only a 20 min walk away.
Private deck and BBQ area with vineyard views, great for entertaining or relaxing. With the added bonus of being situated right on the award winning Judge Rock Pinot Wines vineyard, treat yourself to a tasting and get to know your friendly hosts over a number of their award winning vintages. Base yourself here for exploring the region
NEW ZEALAND.COM TRAVEL DEAL
Stay 2 nights at the Judge Rock Cottage and receive an exclusive wine tasting with your hosts and a free bottle of gold medal Pinot Noir
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST INCLUDED IN YOUR STAY
Click here to view the cottage.
JUDGE ROCK COTTAGE CANCELLATION POLICY
Due to the nature of our business cancellations affect us significantly and we apply a strict cancellation policy. At time of booking a 50% deposit is requested to confirm the booking. The remaining 50% is due 7 days prior to arrival.
When a cancellation is received within 20 days of your intended arrival date, we will retain 25% of the room cost; Cancellations from 19 to 7 days, we will retain the 50% deposit; and 100% will be charged if less than 7 days’ notice is given. Every effort will be made to re-book the room and, if successful, the fee will be refunded.
BOOKING ENQUIRY FORM
| Minimum stay 2 nights |
| NZ$300 per night for 2 people plus $50 per extra person |
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