INTRODUCTION
Felton Road holds a special place in the hearts of wine lovers, wine educators and winemakers (beyond their own fields) that reaches globally. A place that breathes integrity, patience and a restraint that seems to quietly coexist in the harmony of all Felton wines.
From its beloved home in Bannockburn, Central Otago, Felton Road has earned its international authority, though not through production scale, or some marketing spectacle, but through unwavering commitment to place. Through 100% estate-grown biodynamically farmed vineyards, to the production of wines that speak honestly of site and season, guided through the nurturing and thoughtful stewardship of winemaker, Blair Walter.
Blair's careful attention to the finite detail of each vineyard, each parcel of earth, allows each singular block to be treated as its own voice, rather than a component to be blended away.
Consisting of approximately 33 hectares across four distinct Bannockburn vineyards, Felton Road is a story to be told, a study in place, that is no doubt evolving as we navigate through our changing climate. This is an estate that captures the dialogue between schist, silt, and sun, and with the steady hand of Blair at the helm, a translation occurs, gifting each wine the true character of each block year after year, becoming the wines of depth, nuance, and irresistible vitality that we know today.
THE VINEYARDS
Cornish Point | 7.6 ha
Almost completely encompassed by Lake Dunstan, Cornish Point is a low lying vineyard with cool air streams, and where water tempers frost and shapes ripeness. Ancient soils over river gravels deliver us dark, dense Pinots with super plush textures, soft acidity, and intense floral led aromatics. Always generous, always composed.
Calvert Vineyard | 5.9 ha
Given the combination of its soils and site the Calvert vineyard almost always produces early, with even ripening fruit and remarkable consistency. Its smaller berries and more moderate yields produce wines with structure, incredible mouthfeel, fine integrated tannins, dark fruit and florals, and lovely clean lines of minerality. Calvert produces wines of breadth, poise and precision.
MacMuir Vineyard | 5.1 ha
- Purchased in 2010, planted mostly to Pinot Noir, home to MacMuir Pinot.
This north-facing, high-density vineyard is firmly rooted in the Bannockburn silts, MacMuir is both generous and cerebral. Sheltered, warm, and quietly confident, this vineyard creates wines of restraint that are completely alluring in depth, while the Dijon and Massal clone selections give layered complexity, decadent texture, ripe dark fruit, and focused mineral tension.
The Elms Vineyard | 14.7 ha
The Elms vineyard is the original heartland for Felton, it’s a mosaic of schist gravels, sandy clay loam and more ancient lake-bed sediments. The variation within this vineyard gives way to Pinots that are both powerful, complex, finely etched and mineral, while both the Chardonnay and Riesling vines thrive on the exposed gravels creating crystalline clarity.
FELTON ROAD MASTERCLASS
Exploring the Original Icon of Central Otago
THE WHITES
Central Otago, New Zealand | RRP $109.99
The Chardonnay is primarily from The Elms Vineyard (Blocks 2, 6, 8 & 9) with roughly 10% from Cornish Point. Multiple clones (e.g., Mendoza, B95, B548) are used to add textural and aromatic complexity. Soils and the cool Central Otago climate give the wine a mineral, crystalline backbone. Grapes are hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed, fermented with wild yeasts in French oak (predominantly seasoned barrels; new oak kept restrained at around 10%), and undergo full malolactic fermentation. The wine spends about 13 months on lees, is handled gently, and is bottled unfined and unfiltered to retain texture and vineyard expression.
Review: The 2023 Bannockburn Chardonnay is lean and tremendously tightly coiled at this stage, with notes of crushed and salted nuts, white peach, lemon, green apple and lemongrass. In the mouth, the acidity is a real factor in the drinking experience: it defines the finish and contributes to the overall leanness of the wine. It's crunchier than expected, but at 14% alcohol, it's certainly not underripe. Interesting angles, all of them. The Felton Road vineyard is situated below the 45th parallel, making it and the vineyards of southern New Zealand some of the most southern vineyards on the planet.
Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
Grilled scallops w brown butter
Beer-battered fish w a squeeze of lime
Creamy mushroom risotto w lemon zest
Asparagus tart w ricotta and lemon
Miso-Ginger Glazed Black Cod
Central Otago, New Zealand | RRP $129.99
Block 6 sits on the upper, north-facing slope of The Elms Vineyard, planted in 1993. It is one of Felton Road’s warmest and most sun-exposed Chardonnay parcels, yet moderated by elevation, giving a combination of ripeness and tension. The soil composition is schist-derived gravels with loess and fine silt, typical of Bannockburn’s glacial terraces, giving the wine its mineral edge. Felton Road’s Chardonnay program is deliberately restrained, and Block 6 follows the same low-intervention philosophy with a slightly longer maturation than the Bannockburn bottling. Hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed for purity and phenolic finesse. Indigenous yeasts in old French oak, keeping new oak influence minimal so the block’s fruit and texture dominate. 16 months in barrel, longer than the estate Chardonnay’s typical 13 months, contributing to the wine’s richer mid-palate and lees-derived weight.
Review: Tasted alongside the Block 2, this 2023 Block 6 Chardonnay feels far more cohesive and resolved. Still tropical, and with viscose-like weight in the mouth, the wine evokes words like "exotic," "opulent," and "sophisticated." The wine is nutty and salty and full of flavor, the acidity tucked into the layers of fruit in the mouth. Very good. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
93 points Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
Seared foie gras w quince paste
Smoked trout roulade w crème fraîche
Grilled prawns w citrus herb sauce
Crab linguine with chilli & zesty lemon
Herb-roasted chicken w tarragon velouté
THE REDS
Central Otago, New Zealand | RRP $109.99
Felton Road's 'Business Card' wine that showcases the house style. It is sourced from Felton Road’s four Bannockburn estate vineyards, Cornish Point, Calvert, MacMuir, and The Elms, with proportions varying year to year to achieve balance across sites. The vineyards sit on deep alluvial schist gravels and are farmed organically and biodynamically.Felton Road's 'Business Card' wine that showcases the house style. It is sourced from Felton Road’s four Bannockburn estate vineyards, Cornish Point, Calvert, MacMuir, and The Elms, with proportions varying year to year to achieve balance across sites. The vineyards sit on deep alluvial schist gravels and are farmed organically and biodynamically. Fermentation is intentionally hands‑off: grapes are fermented with indigenous yeasts, the majority gently destemmed while about 20% of whole bunches are retained to add lift and spice, and malolactic conversion occurs naturally. The wine is matured for roughly 13 months in French oak with about 25% new barrels, and it is bottled unfined and unfiltered to preserve textural detail and terroir expression.
Review: The 2023 Bannockburn Pinot Noir is vibrant and spicy, with real energy and pace on the palate. Cherry, cranberry, pomegranate, and raspberry converge on a springy base of pliable tannin. The acidity, which is bright, is woven through all aspects of the fruit, and the wine feels exciting and fresh as a result. This is a great wine here. It has full flavor and resolved texture at a moderate alcohol level. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
93 points Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
Duck breast w cherry & red wine reduction
Roast lamb rack w rosemary & garlic jus
Wild mushroom risotto w thyme & parmesan
Beetroot & goat cheese tart
Grilled tuna tataki w sesame & citrus soy
Central Otago, New Zealand | RRP $161.99
Originally owned by the Calvert family, Felton Road began leasing and managing the site in 2001 before eventually purchasing it. If Block 5 is a "broadsword," Calvert is a "scalpel." The soil is an incredibly uniform, deep silt (loess). This uniformity means the vines grow with perfect balance. Calvert Pinot Noir is known for its floral aromatics and a "slinky," silky texture. It represents the pinnacle of elegance in the Felton Road stable.
Review: The 2023 Calvert Pinot Noir is abundantly berry-driven on the nose, with ripe summer cherries, mulberry, forest floor, pomegranate molasses, and peppercorns. In the mouth, the wine leads with firm tannins, which are laced with Szechuan peppercorns and sandalwood spice and brought into focus by acidity that skirts the edges of brisk but lands gently on juicy. This is a lovely wine, further compounding my affection for the wines of the 2023 vintage on the South Island. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
95 points Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
Salmon en papillote w dill & lemon zest
Roasted beetroot carpaccio w citrus vinaigrette
Pan-seared duck breast w cherry & pomegranate jus
Herb-crusted lamb loin w rosemary jus
Pyengana Cloth Aged Cheddar or Comté
Central Otago, New Zealand | RRP $179.99
Block 5 sits on a deep, elevated bench of fine glacial loess over a clay-rich subsoil. The clay retains slightly more moisture and nutrients than the sandier blocks, and the vines produce smaller, thicker-skinned berries. This results in the "masculine" expression of Felton Road: dark fruit, muscular tannins, and immense structural depth. Since the first 1997 vintage, Block 5 has been the "heavyweight" of the lineup. It is consistently the most age-worthy wine in the portfolio, often requiring 5–10 years to fully reveal its layers of spice and forest floor.
Review: The 2023 Block 5 Pinot Noir is muscular and powerful and savory, totally in line with its esteemed reputation up to this point. This 2023 vintage has retained all of the thundering drive that the wine has become famous for, yet, via the fruit, it posits it in a highly focused and precise manner. The fruit feels lighter and more persistent, the tannins deftly handled and overwhelmingly sophisticated. Flavors include sandalwood, mortadella, cherry compote, dried herbs, pink peppercorns, and crushed rocks. I love this wine because it tastes like Central Otago, specifically Bannockburn, but every aspect that has been able to be reined in has been, making for an elevated drinking experience. Excellent. Quite likely the best yet. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
95+ points Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
Herb roasted quail w citrus gremolata
Lamb loin w olive tapenade
Seared tuna w cracked pepper & lime
Mushroom & lentil Wellington w herb jus
Roasted pork belly with apple-mustard jus
Aged Manchego or aged Gouda
Central Otago, New Zealand | RRP $164.99
his 5.1-hectare vineyard was planted in 2012 by the Calvert family but was designed and managed by Felton Road from day one. It was officially purchased by the estate in 2021. MacMuir sits on a slightly higher elevation than Calvert. It was planted with a higher vine density (about 4,000 vines per hectare) and a specific selection of Pinot Noir clones (UCD 5, Abel, and 667) chosen for complexity. It currently serves as a vital component of the "Bannockburn" Pinot Noir blend, providing a bridge between the structural intensity of the Elms and the aromatic finesse of Calvert.
Review: The 2023 MacMuir Pinot Noir leads with cocoa powder and pomegranate, dried herbs, and caper brine. The palate offers all of this and more, framed by fine, chalky tannins and a wash of juicy acidity that feels watercolor-like and impressionist in the mouth. I like this wine very much, and the slightly lighter frame this year works well for it. It is chewy and good, with asphalt and petrichor through the finish. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
94 points Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
Venison loin w blackberry jus
Braised beef short ribs
Porcini beef bourguignon
Lamb kofta w pomegranate molasses
Aged cheddar
CONCLUSION
These six wines represent the pinnacle of Felton Road’s vision, craft, and unwavering commitment to terroir. Felton Road is more than a winery, it is a custodian of Central Otago’s finest vineyards, a pioneer of biodynamic and organic viticulture, and a producer whose wines consistently redefine what New World Pinot Noir and Chardonnay can be.
The 2023 vintage showcases this perfectly, they are wines that are to not be just simply they are for exploration. Tasting Felton Road is witnessing the harmony of nature and human intention, while experiencing the layered complexity of Central Otago’s soil and microclimate, and to understand why these wines are revered by critics and collectors worldwide.
As allocations for these wines remain tight, and the global demand for Felton continues to grow, each vintage feels increasingly precious! Felton Road Wines whisper promises, lasting presence in cellars and a distinguished place in the stories of Central Otago and the world of wine for generations to come.
FELTON ROAD 2023 CELLARING & VINTAGE GUIDE:
https://feltonroad.com/our-wines/vintages/2023-vintage/
MH + MM ~ Market Wine Store
