Felton Road, Block 3 Pinot Noir, Central Otago

Brief update on my 2021 note. Similar descriptors. Very lush, mainly dark berry, cherry and plum fruit. Ultra-fine grained tannins. Lacking a little of the bright acidity, typical for the dry, warm vintage. Almost more Cornish Point than Block 3. Presently quite compact and a little tight. I’d hold until around 2030 to see if with age it develops more complexity. Rated highly due to the potential I see (drunk over two evenings, during which it did not change).

2018 vintage

Tart cherries, bright red fruits. Nice Pinot but wasn’t as floored as others have been.

2018 vintage

Prof Lei - Best Collection of New Zealand (Newmarket, Auckland) : fragrant, fruity, cherry and raspberry. integrated well but still young, concentrated sweet fruity core, medium body, spice, oak, fresh herbal, creamy and earth, subtle and complex, silky tannins, fresh acidity. gentle and long finish. one of the most wanted pinot noir for NZ wine collectors. BC 97, JS 97, WA 94, WS 92, WE 93 Ap 5/5, Ar 14/15, Palate 17/20, Overall 5+4/10 Total 95+/100

2018 vintage

Fresh with a smooth creamy texture. Notes of tarragon butter and field flowers. Dense yet agile with decent acidity. Great finish with citrus fruits lingering. Drink now.

2018 vintage

Lovely mature NZ Pinot but began to fade not long after opening.

2006 vintage

2019 Visit to Cromwell (Central Otago, NZ) : Typically up to 30% stems, here 22%. A gorgeous nose, spicy, floral and dried herbs. Sweet, silky red fruit on entry to the palate. It grows on the mid palate. Raspberries, red cherries, dried herbs and some spice. Detailed and complex. Lovely acids. “Soft and approachable”, noted Blair. Wine of the barrel tasting.

2018 vintage

Lovely

2018 vintage

Tasting Ground official tasting, Felton Road part 1: 2018 Pinot Noir (Oinoscent) : Last one in the line up and wine of the tasting for almost all participants. The wine shows depth and complexity in the nore. Pure ripe red fruit, cherry, strawberries and spices makes it very ethereal and airy. In the palate the wine is surprisingly light, showing medium tannins and high acidity, mouthwatering tasty and savoury. It just grows and grows in the glass and ends with …

2018 vintage

The wine is clear, with pale ruby-garnet color, and thick legs. On the nose the wine is clear, with medium aromas intensity of black forest fruits, fresh green herbs, fresh strawberry jam, sweet cocked vegetables. On the palate the wine is dry, with medium plus acidity, medium ripe tannins, medium body, medium plus alcohol, medium plus flavors intensity of cacao, red and black fruits, sour cherries, sweet spices, fresh green herbs, mineral notes, earthiness notes. The wine is of a …

2018 vintage

The End of the Golden Weather: a pre-COVID-19 Visit to Central Otago in Autumn 2020 : The product of warm vintage (Felton Road's earliest picked vintage ever, from 28 February). Whole bunch 20%, 30% new oak. Drunk over two evenings. Under screwcap. Light ruby. Fragrant with blackberry, morello cherry and herbal and spicy perfumes. On the second evening, more dark fruit and a hint of violets. A leaner entry to the palate. Initially delicate and filigreed. Savoury, spicy and earthy …

2018 vintage

Felton Road Block 3 and Block 5 continue to be my favorite Pinot outside of Burgundy together with Rose&Arrow in Oregon. I can only say what have always said. Buy as much as you can until the world realizes it. My visit there have confirmed that they operate on a different level of quality and understanding than the rest of the country. As young as this 2018 is, the wine wafts from the glass with bright red fruit but also …

2018 vintage

As it ages in our cellar with perfect temperature. It has developed its potential complexity. Forest floor and freshly cut flowers underlying layers. Dark fruit with exotic species, floral aspects . Medium and long finish lingering on the palate. Very seductive. Paring with Patagonia prawn 🦐 pasta

2006 vintage

Less expressed. Delicate. Clean. Should develop v. Well.

2018 vintage

Context is important. This was a sound wine but suffered enormously when placed beside Burgundian Pinot. There just appeared to be no subtlety to this. Upfront, jammy, pruney aromas. Advanced, heading into that anonymous aged dry red spectrum of aromas. Looks incredibly porty and fat on the palate too, all cassis and jam and milky density. Hardly resembles a Pinot. Maybe represents its place, for which I admit there is some integrity. But it almost looks like a caricature of …

2006 vintage

Leveling the Lands - Blind : Cola, stalk, cherry, some herb and medicinal notes. Has some good grip on the palate that counters the sweeter fruit element. Thought this was probably Felton Road and was right. Has good length. Will drink well over the next 4-5 years for sure.

2006 vintage

Deep fruit, minerals and the very typical forest floor combined with earthy minerals. Violets emerge after a while combined with orange zest and fresh cherry. The palate is vibrant and provides a close to profound experience. This as many other Felton wines are driven by elegance and a nice acidity. (Score is 93+)

2006 vintage

Crisp, candied nose, with pomegranate, chili and basil. The palate is smooth and medium-bodied, with notes of candied cherry and gazpacho. Intriguing.

2006 vintage

Blind Tasting of New Zealand Pinot Noir with New Plymouth Wine Tasting Club : A bit light and a bit tight with bright acid. Menthol. Lots of coffee. B-

2006 vintage

Not the best NZ Pinot I have ever had but who cares. Agree that it has soft backbone but that said the wine is delicious, rich and smooth. Screwcap also give you the surety of quality. Lovely wine, highly recommended. Will keep for a few years yet but I wonder why you would bother.

2006 vintage

Great Wine. agree with others comments. Could have been even better with just a little more backbone, felt it was a big "soft"

2006 vintage

Certainly the best NZ Pinot I have had the pleasure of drinking. Somewhat dark violet, this is graceful with light body and elegant mouthfeel, yet powerful in flavor. Lots of red and blue fruits, floral aspects galore, and a certain smokiness to it which accentuates some spice. Maybe a tiny bit hot with just a hint of bitterness, but all in all this is very nice with a good future still ahead.

2006 vintage

Burghound in Asia (DRC vs the World Blind Tasting) (St Regis, Brasserie Les Saveurs) : Very floral and charming. Less convincing after some time in the glass. Lacking a bit of intensity on the palate.

2006 vintage

DRC vs the World Blind Tasting (St. Regis Hotel, Singapore) : An absolutely beautiful wine. It was super expressive on the nose with briny dirty martini hints, sarsaparilla scents, dark cherries, fresh cut flowers, all intensely perfumed,with a toss of earth and hint of oak hanging at the back of the bouquet. Lovely stuff. One sip then, and I just could not help taking another, and another and another. The wine was just ridiculously delicious with is slinky, silky tannins, …

2006 vintage

DRC vs The World Blind Pinot Noir Tasting (St Regis) : Lovely nose with olives, flowers. Oh the palate also grips u. Blueberries along with cherries and some sappy notes. So elegant, so tasty, so fruity like a fruitips sweet. Finishes so well and I jus can't stop sipping! So beautiful.

2006 vintage

Central Otago Pinot Noir Expo (Prince Wine Store - Bank Street) : Cherries plums and spices on the nose with an acidic palette that's a little to forward for me. The tannins are fine and the mouthfeel is big.

2006 vintage

Last drank one of these in a restaurant 2 years ago where the wine was really tight so I knew this would be verging on infanticide. Even though this wine is only going to get better it's still really, really nice now. Dark red colour in the glass with a typical pinot nose. Chocolate, dark fruits on the palate with some spice, some drying tannins on the long finish. All in all a really good wine which has a great …

2006 vintage

Pop n pour tasted with the winemaker, Blair Walter. Nose of rainier cherry, heat, black tea, herbs and spice. Rich cherry and strawberry on the medium + body. Licorice notes show up with some airtime, and an initial touch of heat recedes. Fleshy mid-palate, medium finish. 14,5% abv, approx $55, drink thru 2015.

2006 vintage

Much too young but terrific potential

2006 vintage

New Zealand Offline to welcome Mark Henderson to Manchester (Manchester) : From the first whiff as it's poured into the glass, it's obvious this is a bit special. Gloriously integrated nose. Lovely attack. But it's a bit separate and unresolved on the finish, with lots of alcohol (it's 14.5%) showing too clearly. It's an impressive wine, which at the moment is very much let down by the alcoholic heat. Too young. The score reflects current drinking, not potential.

2006 vintage

Bacchus blind tasting (My place) : Dark red color with a purple hue. Delicious red berry fruit on the nose giving more and more nuances as it opened up with air, red currant, strawberry, earth, smoked bacon and some oak. Tight on the palate having some red fruit, red currant and strawberry. On the midpalate some bitterness, vegetable and dark chocolate. Loads of fruit acidity draws the mouthwater. Good length and intensity, but this seriously needs time.

2006 vintage

Wow, this was a great Pinot. Very young but opened up nicely in the glass after an hour or so. Tight in the beginning, but by the end of the bottle classicaly rich bold pinot. Not Burg in style, but not over the top new world style (like KB os sea smoke) either. A happy medium for me. Plan to buy more and lay then down for a few years.

2006 vintage

Deep with purple edge, a wonderful nose of intense spice, tinned tomatoes , ripe berry fruits and more spice and cinnamon on the palate, firm tannins....try again 10 years. Most thought it was a Northern Rhone.

2006 vintage

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Felton Road, Block 3 Pinot Noir, Central Otago

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