Red dry
Felton Road Block 5 Pinot Noir Central Otago 2023 – a single-vineyard expression of Bannockburn terroir from the prestigious The Elms vineyard. Block 5 is a small parcel of Felton Road’s finest and oldest Pinot Noir vines, planted in 1993.
The wine opens with delicate aromas that highlight Block 5’s elegance and finesse: floral notes, fragrant raspberry, rhubarb, rose petals, graphite, and dark cherry.
This Pinot Noir is grown biodynamically on a north-facing slope where, as the elevation rises, the soils transition from heavy loess and sandy silt with lacustrine clays to gravel.
The fruit is hand-harvested, and the grapes are sorted several times in the vineyard and at the winery. About 20% whole clusters are retained. A 8–10 day cold soak is followed by fermentation with wild yeasts. The wine spends 21–25 days on skins and is then aged for 16 months in French oak barrels, about 25% new. Bottled unrefined and unfiltered.
Serve at 14-16°C with tuna tartare, duck breast, grilled sausages, and vegetable stews with wild mushrooms.
Felton Road is a small, family-owned estate that has become one of the most internationally acclaimed producers of New Zealand ‘Pinot Noir’. All of the winery’s vineyards are located in the prestigious Central Otago region, within the north-facing Elms Bannockburn Vineyard. Since 2000, strict organic and biodynamic viticulture standards have been applied here, ensuring maximum terroir expression and sustainability.
Head winemaker Blair Walter honed his experience with ‘Pinot Noir’ in Oregon (USA) and Burgundy, bringing classical winemaking expertise and meticulous attention to detail to Felton Road. All grapes are harvested exclusively by hand. The winery’s unique three-level gravity-flow design, integrated into a hillside, allows all production processes to be carried out without pumps. Fermentation is done only with indigenous yeasts, and the wines are neither fined nor filtered to preserve their natural flavour and structure.
According to renowned wine critic James Suckling, “If Central Otago could be compared to Côte de Nuits, then Bannockburn would be like Vosne-Romanée, and I can confidently say that Felton Road is comparable to the legendary DRC.”
Felton Road wines stand out for their natural purity, precise structure, and exceptional expression of terroir. They are balanced, elegant, and age-worthy.
Red wine – predominantly made from ‘Pinot Noir’. Aromas are dominated by red and black berries, floral notes, and spices. On the palate, soft tannins, fresh acidity, and a long-lasting finish prevail. With age, they develop complex earthy, forest floor, and dried fruit nuances.
White wine – made from ‘Chardonnay’ and ‘Riesling’. ‘Chardonnay’ offers minerality, citrus and ripe fruit aromas, and subtle oak influence. ‘Riesling’ is vibrant, fresh, and marked by balance and aromatic purity.
All Felton Road vineyards are farmed biodynamically, maintaining a natural balance between soil, plants, and the environment.
Elms Bannockburn Vineyard – the main source of ‘Pinot Noir’ and ‘Chardonnay’, renowned for its clay, gravel, and limestone soils, which give the wines elegance and structure.
Other Bannockburn parcels – add complexity to the style and provide additional aromatic nuances.
The wines are matured in oak barrels, with the proportion of new oak carefully controlled to avoid overshadowing natural fruit expression. Aging time varies by style – ‘Pinot Noir’ is typically aged for 13–18 months, and ‘Chardonnay’ for about 12 months.
Felton Road wines are delightful to drink young, but the finest ‘Pinot Noir’ examples can gracefully age for 10–15 years, retaining their balance, aromatic depth, and elegance.
