Felton Road Block 3 Pinot Noir 2015
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Suckling
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James Suckling
Another typically powerful iteration of pinot from this Bannockburn site, this has a deep-set, brooding and spicy nose and some meaty ferment-derived reduction that opens up with air. This shows the impressive quality expected of a modern pinot noir. There's an array of herbal sappy elements leading into a bright ripe and pure set of red cherries and wild raspberry fruits. And don’t miss the cherry-pastry notes and woody spices; this is a really composed and complex wine. The palate has a rich, fleshy texture and delivers ripe cherry fruits on a smoothly rendered base of even-paced tannin. This is impressively ripe and groomed and long and supple. Some red plums and cherry pips run through the finish, which shows an almost chalky textural twist. This is full of pleasure and drinking well now. One of the more approachable vintages of this legendary, single-site Felton pinot. Drink now and through to 2025.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby colored with a hint of purple, the 2015 Block 3 Pinot Noir opens with some earthy/stem notes, which soon give way to a core of red and black cherries, mulberries and violets, plus hints of black tea and tree bark. Medium-bodied, the black berry and earth flavors fill the mouth supported by a frame of ripe, fine grained tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long.
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Wine Spectator
Shows terrific energy to the wild strawberry and raspberry flavors. Fresh and lively, accented with notes of pine needle and citrus peel. Vibrant on the finish, where red licorice and spice hints linger. Drink now through 2030.
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Central Otago is located on the southern end of New Zealand's South Island (latitude 45º south) and shares with Oregon (45º north) similar viticultural challenges: late frosts in Spring, early frost in Autumn, a growing season that may be curtailed overnight. Yet the climates of both are surprisingly similar to Burgundy's Côte d'Or: hot in summer, cold in winter. Central Otago is New Zealand's only wine region with a continental - rather than maritime - climate, which results in greater diurnal and seasonal shifts in temperature.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Home to the globe’s most southerly vineyards, which are cultivated below the 45th parallel, Central Otago is a true one-of-a-kind wine growing region, but not only because of its extreme location.
Central Otago is more dependent on one single variety than any other region in New Zealand—and it isn’t Sauvignon blanc. They don’t even make Sauvignon blanc there.
Pinot Noir claims nearly 75% of the region’s vineyards with Pinot Gris coming in a far second place and Riesling behind it. This is also New Zealand’s only wine region with a continental climate, giving it more diurnal and seasonal temperature shifts than any other.
The subregion of Bannockburn has enjoyed the most success historically but the area’s exceptional growth has moved to the promising regions of Cromwell/Bendigo and Alexandra districts. Central Otago is known for its fruity and full-bodied Pinot noir. With the freedom to experiment here, growers and winemakers are easily exhibiting the area’s great potential.