Description / Reviews
"Aromas of dark cherries, wild raspberries, orange peel and lead pencil. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and vivid acidity, giving notes of blackberries, blood oranges, dried herbs and crushed river-stones. Balanced and bright with a real purity and a mineral edge. The premier release of this new addition to Prophet’s Rock pinots. Drink or hold." - 95 points, James Suckling
"A shift in both hue and aromatics, this is more immediately open and expressive than the buttoned-down Bendigo wines, though it’s hardly fruity or opulent. But there are more florals here – boronia and borage – plus bay leaf, waxy strawberries, damson and pomegranate. The palate is quite delicate with fine, sandy tannins, good fruit compaction and a long finish – this is where the wine’s build is. Just 10 barrels were made, so get in quick. Sophora microphylla is the botanical name for the indigenous yellow-flowered weeping kōwhaii tree, beloved of native birds. Sophora is a new Pinot Noir release from the Kopuwai Delta Vineyard at Pisa, source of the Cuvée aux Antipodes Blanc Chardonnay fruit." - 94 points, Emma Jenkins MW, Decanter
"Subtle, multifarious layers of perfumed complexity from wildflowers and dried herb to raspberry bush and baking spice, all delicately arrayed across the light-weight but energetic palate. Very smooth and silky, the flavours come together towards roasted nuts, oyster-shell minerality and a hint of flint on the back-palate before expanding again with airiness and savoury, mushroomy interest on the finish. A beautifully light and intricate pinot with fascinating flow and delicacy, this is finely poised and will evolve slowly " - 95 points, Stephen Wong, The Real Review
"Only 10 barrels are made from the Kopuwai Delta Vineyard in the Pisa sub-region, Central Otago. This beautiful site overlooks the powerful Clutha River and provides a wonderful contrast to our two Bendigo Vineyards. A beautifully expressive nose of bramble fruits, wild strawberries, mountain herbs and violets. The palate continues with raspberries, blueberries and boysenberries, with silky, fine-grained tannins and a pure line of acidity, pulling it all through to a long and elegant finish. An ethereal Pinot Noir, showing the clarity of the vineyard in the bottle." - Prophet's Rock, Winemaker
"Perfumed and graceful, the 2023 Sophora Pinot Noir offers red cherry, rose petal and wild strawberry, framed by fine tannins and subtle oak spice. Elegant and pure, it glides effortlessly across the palate with mineral freshness and length. Sourced from the Kopuwai Delta Vineyard in Pisa, this new single-vineyard release reflects the warmer microclimate and free-draining schist soils of the site. Protected by mountains and influenced by glacial terraces, it produces Pinot Noir of poise and clarity.
The grapes were handpicked, fully destemmed, and wild-fermented with minimal extraction. Aged 11 months in French oak (20% new) and bottled unfiltered." - Franc About Wine, Importer
