Felton Road Wines

• Vic’s final tasting in his New Zealand visit was at the iconic, organic/biodynamic Felton Road Wines during the recent Central Otago Wine Festival. The wines selections were made, introduced and poured with excellent commentary by another icon—Felton Road winemaker, Blair Walter.

 Watch the website of Lifford Wine and Spirits as they handle Felton Road wines when they make their way to Ontario via the LCBO. To really keep abreast, you can subscribe to their excellent newsletter, use link above.

• The following 2018 Felton Road ‘Bannockburn’ Pinot Noir was sourced from four estate vineyards in Bannockburn—Elms, MacMuir, Calvert and Cornish Point. Bannockburn is a sub-region of Central Otago (some argue it should have its own GI—Geographical Indication) The majority of fruit was gently destemmed then ambient-yeast fermented, 20% whole-bunch and a lengthy cold-soak maceration preceding 13 months maturation in 27% new French oak then bottled without fining or filtering.

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Felton Road Wines ‘Bannockburn’ Pinot Noir 2018
Central Otago, New Zealand $55.00 13.5% alcohol
This bold and structured pinot opens with aromas of distinctive floral notes, mixed spice and red cherry/berry fruit. It’s medium bodied with generous mouthfeel and persistent purity of fruit—pie cherry and ripe bramble berry— along with flinty/mineral notes coating the palate adorned with soft-grained tannin and excellent tang. The finish lingers, delicious, well balanced and awash with mouth-watering acidity. Aerate/decant for a couple of hours before serving. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2018 Felton Road ‘Cornish Point’ Pinot Noir has a unique terroir with its river-bend closeness to water and unique soil and subsoil structure. Thirty percent of this wine was aged 13 months in new French oak barrels from a variety of Burgundian coopers.

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Felton Road Wines ‘Cornish Point’ Pinot Noir 2018
Central Otago, New Zealand $55.00 14.0% alcohol
This is approachable, complex and simply delectable. Floral and earthy note aromas compete with sprigs of savoury herbs on the nose of this lovely expression of pinot noir. It flows over the palate with strength, character and balanced on a pin. Palate flavours of red cherry and wisps of red currant interweave with black raspberry and plenty of pizzazz. It showcases deft balance of soft, ripe tannin, fresh fruit flavour and lip-smacking acidity coating the palate persisting through the long finish and aftertaste along with delightful wisps of tannin. Aerate/decant for three hours before service. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2018 Felton Road ‘Calvert’ Pinot Noir was sourced from vines that are planted in deep heavy silts with a thin layer of topsoil fashioned from ‘loess’—small, windswept granules of schist, the predominant rock of the area.

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Felton Road Wines ‘Calvert’ Pinot Noir 2018
Central Otago, New Zealand $68.00 13.5% alcohol
Alluring aromas of roses, dark berry fruit and hints of mocha open this iron fist in a velvet glove pinot. Flavours of black fruit—Bing cherry, plum and currant—coat the palate persisting through the lengthy aftertaste. This is medium-plus bodied with creamy-smooth mouthfeel. Joining the lovely fruit flavour on the palate and finish is a delightful aftertaste that includes perceptible and acceptable tannin and excellent tang and acidity on the dry finish. Aerate/decant for three hours before service or carefully cellar until 2026 and possibly a bit longer. (Vic Harradine)

• The 25-year-old vines that supplied fruit for the following 2018 Felton Road ‘Block 5’ Pinot Noir are found on the gentle-sloping, north-east facing centre of the ‘The Elms’ vineyard and are 20% on their own root stock, planted to a density of 5000 vines to the Ha. The soils vary as you go up the slope—even within Block 5—providing complexity, flavours and racy intensity.

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Felton Road Wines ‘Block 5’ Pinot Noir 2018
Central Otago, New Zealand $89.00 13.5% alcohol
Sweet bright red and black fruit aromas entwine with dried herbs and mixed spice on the nose of this delightful gem. There’s a cornucopia of complex palate flavours with black currant and black cherry interlaced with grilled dried herbs and mocha to the fore. It’s medium bodied with good mouthfeel and a bit tight for now with a linear line of racy tang and a solid underpinning of tannin boding well for medium-term cellaring. The monumentally long finish brandishes a flourish of flavour with dark fruit and cassis lining up with racy tang and tannin on the dry finish. Careful cellaring until at least 2025 should be handsomely rewarded. (Vic Harradine)

• The Mendoza-clone, 26-year-old vines that provided fruit for the following 2018 Felton Road ‘Block 2’ Chardonnay were planted on an east-facing slope in soils of deep, angular schist. Fruit was fermented by autochthonous yeast in French oak barrel, none new, for 16 months after undergoing naturally occurring non-alcoholic malolactic fermentation then racked to tank for bottling in August, 2019, not fined or filtered.

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Felton Road Wines ‘Block 2’ Chardonnay 2018
Central Otago, New Zealand $58.00 13.5% alcohol
This opens with inviting aromas of tropical fruit, floral and biscuit notes before enveloping the palate with a gusher of palate flavour—sweet white nectarine and yellow peach juxtaposed with racy lemon curd and hints of white grapefruit and ripe pineapple. It’s medium weight, balanced and beautiful with good texture and a lingering, crisp and refreshing finish and aftertaste displaying a mineral-infused treat. This is drinking well now and will on to 2024. Give this a go with roast pork or chicken Kiev. (Vic Harradine)