Felton Road Block 3 Pinot Noir 2021
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James
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Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
A lovely note of raspberry leaf and peony petal floats above pure and tart notes of crushed blackberry on the nose while black pepper shimmers. The palate is wonderfully crunchy, has echoes of smoke and fine tannins. Red fruit peeks through on the midpalate while the finish echoes hauntingly with peony and pepper. 13 months in 25% new French oak barrels.
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James Suckling
So aromatic with fresh flowers and rose stems. Shows more whole cluster character than others. Full-bodied with layers of powdery tannins and fruit on the palate creating a gorgeous mouthfeel. Tinges of orange peel. Fine finish. The vines are now 29 years old. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Distinctive and elegant, with wild blueberry, huckleberry and cherry flavors that are well-spiced, plus star anise, cardamom, clove and creamy oolong tea accents. Reveals hints of milk chocolate and maraschino cherry that linger on the long, silky finish. Drink now through 2035.
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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.