This wine has been aged for 15 months in 44% new tight grained Burgundian coopered barriques prior to blending & bottling in October 2007. At bottling the wine has great depth of colour and an aroma of dark fruit, spicy oak and savoury complexity from extended lees contact. The palate is reassuringly tight with masses of sweet ripe fruit underlaid by a wealth of well integrated, silky tannins.

This is a pinot for the long-run and will reward many years of careful cellaring. The winery recommends decanting before serving.

2006 Vintage

• 94 Points Jamie Goode "Lovely stuff with amazing structure, spicy minerality and some subtle earthy notes, as well as ripe cherry fruit. Elegant and complex with lovely grainy spiciness under the sweet but restrained fruit." Wineanorak 
• 5 Stars Michael Cooper "From Rocky Knoll, a stony terrace within the Amisfield Vineyard at Lowburn, in Central Otago, the debut 2006 vintage was picked at over 26 brix and matured for 15 months in French oak barriques (44 per cent new). Deep ruby, it's a strikingly rich, complex and harmonious wine, notably concentrated, sweet-fruited and savoury, with supple, silky tannins giving instant appeal." Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines 2010