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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2026 and 2033 (based on 29 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 2 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Michael Mackenzie on 2/9/2023 & rated 89 points: Vineyard & Viticulture
Felton Road farms four properties totaling 34 ha in the
Bannockburn subregion of Central Otago. Block 1 is a
north facing slope immediately west of Block 3 on The
Elms vineyard. It consists of the same Waenga soils
(deep silt loams) as Block 3 and starkly contrasts the
schist gravel soils of our Riesling in Blocks 2 and 4.
Meticulous summer management of a single vertical
shoot positioned (VSP) canopy ensures even and early
fruit maturity. Shoot thinning, shoot positioning, leaf
plucking, bunch thinning and harvest are all carried out
by hand to ensure optimum quality fruit. Cover crops
are planted between rows to assist in vine balance and to
improve soil health and general biodiversity.
Vintage
Regular rainfall throughout spring and early summer
was higher than normal, and along with warmer soil
temperatures, resulted in solid early season growth.
Flowering commenced early in warm and ideal
conditions with a cool spell and rain at the end, which
unfortunately did affect fruit set in Riesling. A warm
and dry January continued to advance development
with veraison starting early and proceeding rapidly.
Early February rain replenished drying soils and a
cooler month was welcomed to arrest the advanced
development. A return to warm and dry weather from
early March meant grapes ripened quickly during the
final stages. Harvest commenced early on March 16
with Chardonnay from Elms and Pinot Noir followed
the next day from Cornish Point and Calvert. Riesling
was harvested in Blocks’ 2 & 4 from March 26 to April
4, with Block 1 on April 14.
Vinification
Riesling from Block 1 was carefully hand-picked
followed by whole bunch pressing. The juice was settled
for 5 days followed by a 4 week fermentation with
indigenous yeasts. The fermentation was stopped by
chilling to balance the high natural acidity with residual
sweetness of 52g/L, resulting in the low alcohol of
10.0%. The wine rested on fine lees with minimal
processing before bottling in early-September to
highlight the delicate Riesling characters.
Source: winery website.
Colour: pale straw, bright, clear.
Nose: q restrained, rounded, fresh, citrus notes dominate
Taste: light body, rounded, sweetness leads but gives way to an elegant, if soft, blend of fruit and acidity. Long finish, rounded v good fruit and not cloying in any way.
Overall, a discovery that reminds me of good Mosel. (329 views) | | | Tasted by kidsmurf2000 on 11/20/2022 & rated 93 points: Really nice medium sweet, good body, refreshing. Would goreally well if fresh schellfish or kina (293 views) |
| Felton Road Producer website
Our Wines
Felton Road is a specialist wine producer making a small range of limited bottlings which express the terroir and minerality of vineyard blocks and sites, and the regionality of Bannockburn in Central Otago. The expression of the wines is guided sensitively and sympathetically to also fit within the parameters of what makes the great wines of the world the best. Felton Road has 32 ha of vines, Demeter certified since 2010, with Pinot Noir accounting for 70% of the output; Chardonnay is 20% of the production and Riesling is 10%. There are only approximately 12,000 cases of wine made each year, 75% of which is exported to 35 different countries. It is this international acceptance and perspective that makes Felton Road unique.
A good winemaker has a thousand ways to make a wine "better" but, better by whose assessment? It has taken us over a decade to gradually acquire the confidence to understand that the wine should be what the wine should be.
Like any good parent, one should encourage but not mould. If one sees a trait that is perhaps not what one would like to see, the solution lies not in how to cure the problem. but in learning to understand where it came from. Each year we have a new family to raise and our increased understanding can pass back to the new generation's schooling in the vineyard.
Gravity flow is the start of a gentle process, avoiding the need to pump fruit uphill. Ferments are spontaneous from the wild or indigenous yeasts that are in our vineyards and winery. Inert gas is shunned. Oak is a subtle companion not a loud guest. The Malo is simply a function of letting the warm spring air into the cellars. Pinots are unfined and unfiltered, Chardonnays are increasingly treated in the same way. The bottlings of single vineyard and single block wines are based on their speaking of a place, not on their size or hierachy of flavour.
Our Land & Vines
Considerable research by Stewart Elms (hence the Elm tree logo) in 1991 identified the north facing slopes at the end of Felton Road, Bannockburn as being one of the warmest and most ideal sites in Central Otago for the growing and production of premium wine. Heat summation data and soil maps of the area, developed as a result of the construction of the Clyde dam, were helpful in this decision. The three different soils identified are free draining with low fertility characteristics, and combined with the unique climate, are ideal for the production of premium quality Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling.
Our vineyards are managed by our own viticulturist, Gareth King, and his team of dedicated staff. Meticulous summer management of a single vertical shoot positioned (VSP) canopy ensures even and early fruit maturity. Shoot thinning, shoot positioning, leaf plucking and bunch thinning are all carried out by hand as required to ensure optimum quality fruit. Inter-row planting of various different cover crops in order to assist in controlling vine vigour, and to improve soil health and general biodiversity.
Mulch is also used in drier parts of the vineyard to help retain moisture, minimise the requirement for irrigation, and to balance areas of lighter more free draining soils. Organic compost is made utilising the winery waste, and organic cow manure and straw.
Since 2002 the vineyards have been managed organically and biodynamically, and in 2010 all three vineyards were awarded full Demeter certification. Pruning is carried out to leave desired bud numbers thus ensuring moderate controllable yields and to create an even, light penetrable canopy. Irrigation is usually necessary during the later dry summer months. Soil moisture levels are carefully monitored and water is applied only when necessary to maintain appropriate soil moisture levels. All grapes are carefully hand picked, keeping separate any quality differences within blocks due to clones, rootstocks and viticultural trials.
The Elms Vineyard - 14.4 Hectares
History & Location
The Elms Vineyard at the end of Felton Road lies in a gently sloping, north facing valley cut into the Bannockburn hills at the southern extremity of the Cromwell basin. Immediately above the vineyard lies Stewart Town and a large dam, where water was stored for sluicing the slopes of Bannockburn during the gold-rush which started in the 1860's. The fact that this valley was untouched by the gold miners is possibly a reflection of the deep benches of heavy soil that form much of its structure: soils unlikely to hold significant amounts of gold. After the gold miners departed, the slopes were left for sheep to graze until Stewart Elms discovered the site's potential for great Pinot Noir. He started to plant in 1992 and Felton Road began.
Cornish Point - 7.6 Hectares
History & Location
Cornish Point is an old gold miners settlement located adjacent to the Hartley and Reilly diggings where the first large find of gold was made in the Central Otago gold rush. It was named after the Cornish gold miners who lived there and was abandoned in the late 19th century then planted as an apricot orchard in the mid 20th century. We planted it to vines in 2000. Bordered on one side by the Clutha River and on the other by the Kawarau (now both flooded at this point to form Lake Dunstan), it is unique in being almost totally surrounded by water.
The vineyard is adjacent to the entrance to the Cromwell Gorge which results in steady airstreams. This as well as the proximity to the lake, both help minimise frost. Additional spring frost protection is provided by a flipper vine row sprinkler system for when temperatures really plummet. Although the edges of Cornish Point were eroded by sluicing or other digging, the vineyard itself is undisturbed soils.
Calvert Vineyard - 10.1 Hectares
History & Location
Calvert Vineyard is located just 1km east of the Elms Vineyard on Felton Road. The gentle north facing slopes lie immediately below the hills of the Bannockburn gold sluicings, now a historic park. Bailley's Gulley tailrace that carried away massive amounts of sluiced gold workings divides the property and provides excellent cold air drainage to minimise frost risk. The vineyard land had been home to a few sheep, rabbits and briar bushes until planting of vines began in 1999.2022 Felton Road Riesling Block 1Tasting Note
The heavier textured soils of Block 1 always produce less citrus and mineral focused aromas compared to our Rieslings grown on the schist gravels of Blocks’ 2 & 4. There is greater intensity of stone fruit (nectarine and apricot abound), and along with freshly grated ginger, dominates both the aroma and flavor. The purity of the fruit is astounding and leads to a seamless integration of the residual sugar and acidity. The wine is a complete and harmonious package, not a single component out of place.
Introduction
Commencing with meticulous site selection and vineyard design in 1991, Felton Road's story is one of refusal to compromise. A strict 100% estate policy with fully organic and biodynamic viticulture (BioGro and Demeter certified) ensures that our fruit arrives at the winery as pure as it can be, while our entire estate comes as close to true sustainability as is possible. A commitment to hands off winemaking: gravity flow; indigenous yeasts and malolactic; an avoidance of fining and filtration; all help preserve the wine's expression of its terroir. The result is Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir which accurately express the authenticity and complexity of our unique vineyards.
Gareth King; Viticulturist, Blair Walter; Winemaker, Nigel Greening; Proprietor.
Vineyard & Viticulture
Felton Road farms four properties totaling 34 ha in the Bannockburn subregion of Central Otago. Block 1 is a north facing slope immediately west of Block 3 on The Elms vineyard. It consists of the same Waenga soils (deep silt loams) as Block 3 and starkly contrasts the schist gravel soils of our Riesling in Blocks 2 and 4. Meticulous summer management of a single vertical shoot positioned (VSP) canopy ensures even and early fruit maturity. Shoot thinning, shoot positioning, leaf plucking, bunch thinning and harvest are all carried out by hand to ensure optimum quality fruit. Cover crops are planted between rows to assist in vine balance and to improve soil health and general biodiversity.
Vintage
Regular rainfall throughout spring and early summer was higher than normal, and along with warmer soil temperatures, resulted in solid early season growth. Flowering commenced early in warm and ideal conditions with a cool spell and rain at the end, which unfortunately did affect fruit set in Riesling. A warm and dry January continued to advance development with veraison starting early and proceeding rapidly. Early February rain replenished drying soils and a cooler month was welcomed to arrest the advanced development. A return to warm and dry weather from early March meant grapes ripened quickly during the final stages. Harvest commenced early on March 16 with Chardonnay from Elms and Pinot Noir followed the next day from Cornish Point and Calvert. Riesling was harvested in Blocks’ 2 & 4 from March 26 to April 4, with Block 1 on April 14.
Vinification
Riesling from Block 1 was carefully hand-picked followed by whole bunch pressing. The juice was settled for 5 days followed by a 4 week fermentation with indigenous yeasts. The fermentation was stopped by chilling to balance the high natural acidity with residual sweetness of 52g/L, resulting in the low alcohol of 10.0%. The wine rested on fine lees with minimal processing before bottling in early-September to highlight the delicate Riesling characters.Riesling Varietal character (Appellation America) | A short history of Riesling (Uncork) | Riesling (wikipedia)New Zealand New Zealand Wine (New Zealand Winegrowers)South Island Noeth Island (wine-pages.com)Otago On weinlagen-info |
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