Felton Road Bannockburn Pinot Noir

A classic Felton Road nose of dark blossoms: rose and violet with a compote of dark fruits. The mid-palate is just screaming Felton Road. Black cherries and cream on the nose introduced cherry crumble on the palate with baked spices. Very harmonious for a wine so young, but a brooding undertow reveals the intrinsic power of the wine. Four Bannockburn vineyards seamlessly integrating to provide many layers and textures.

Felton Road farms four properties totaling 32 ha in the Bannockburn sub-region of Central Otago. This wine is a blend from three vineyards; Cornish Point, Calvert and The Elms. The estate follows a strict policy of 100% organic and biodynamic viticulture. This ensures that the fruit arrives to the winery as pure as it can be- they have a commitment to hands off winemaking.

The unique gravity flow winery enabled the grapes to be gently
destemmed directly into open-top fermenters without pumping with approximately 25 % as whole clusters. Traditional fermentation with a moderately long maceration on skins has extracted good colour and tannin with considerable depth of flavour. This wine was aged for 13 months in French oak barrels from artisan Burgundian coopers. n accordance with our non-interventionalist approach to winemaking, this wine was fermented with indigenous yeast and was not fined or filtered.

"Lovely seductive aromas of perfectly ripe strawberries with fresh flowers and orange. Medium body, very fine with orange peel and cherries as well as stone and hints of bark. Already delicious. A blend of their four vineyards. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold. Screw cap."
94 points.
James Suckling, jamessuckling.com (October 2023)

"The 2022 Bannockburn Pinot Noir is a blend of the four vineyards: Cornish Point, MacMuir, Block 3 and Block 5. It leads with violets, cherry blossom, pomegranate pearls, star anise and cracked fennel seeds. In the mouth, the wine is supple and spicy, with lashings of fruit flavor and a balancing splay of tannins through the mid-palate and finish. Nicely handled wine, satisfying and supple. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink to 2033."
92 points.
Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate (December 2023)

"Succulent red berries on the nose, with green undergrowth adding complexity. Delicious smokiness on the palate, and effortless persistence. Has substance without being over-charged. The essence of Pinot. Drink to 2028."
17 points.
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com (February 2024)