With a vineyard in Alexandra, and a regular spot at the Otago Farmers Market on a Saturday morning at the historic Dunedin Railway station showcasing their wines, Judge Rock have been winning awards for their wines for over fifteen years. Best known, as many in Central Otago are, for their Pinot Noir, they also have St. Laurent on the 4-hectare vineyard. There’s a Port-style wine to be savoured; but moving with the times – a rosé and a Pet-Nat are also on offer.
As much as I do manage to get around the country and write the articles about visiting our wine regions, I admit to having a few holes in my coverage (so far) – given that I’ve travelled to Central Otago a couple of times but haven’t spent much time looking around Alexandra. I’ve made a mental note to rectify that ASAP, but, for now, I asked Angela and Paul a few questions to kick off some coverage of their label for WineFolio…
How has Alexandra (and Central Otago) changed, matured, as wine-growing region in the time you’ve been involved? Vines are getting some age and winemaking has improved dramatically. Also we understand our climate and terroir better to lift the quality of grapes.
I see that more wines are being identified/labelled not just as Central Otago, but with sub-regional identification? What are your thoughts on that? Depends on what you want to shout about. The Central Otago brand is pretty strong, so staying with that.
With a few new, smaller labels popping up in New Zealand – do you see a change in the landscape a bit – more diversity? How do Judge Rock fit into that? We are definitely diverse with making some unusual wines – including St Laurent, Port, pet-nat and a blanc de noir. Being small means we need to do something to stand out from the crowd. Make four different wines from the one grape – Pinot Noir.
Can you tell me a bit more about the vineyards? Soil, clones etc? Only the one site of 4 Ha, North-west facing. Have eight different Dijon, Pommard clones, and very sandy, free draining soil.
What about your winemaking style/philosophy? Hands off winemaking. Let the site speak. Organic for purity of grapes.
If you had the chance to make any other wines, what would they be? Riesling or Chardonnay, but we are too small to fit any more varieties.
What is it about wine that brings you the most joy? Variety that every vintage gives you, depending on the season. Also we are able to age our Pinot before going to market which helps a lot with quality.
Is there a moment in the winemaking year where you just ‘get a feeling’ for what’s going on / going to happen? Yes, usually when we put on the nets in start of Feb, we have a good idea then of the size and quality of the vintage.
What do you think are any upcoming trends? Organic is growing and people like small hands on vineyards and wine making.
In what ways do you think the NZ wine industry might be affected by Climate Change? It will benefit us as our southern region becomes less affected by cold frosty weather. Over the 22 years, our harvest date has come forward 2 weeks.
Do you have favourite wines from other people/places, and think “One day I’ll make something as good as that”? Do you have any stories to tell about discovering those? Love, love, a good Premier or Grand Cru Burgundy – and our aim is to get to that quality.
Who would you most like to share a glass of your wine with (and why)? Mostly like to share with our family and friends. Great to bring out a jeroboam or magnum for family events.
