Felton Road reaches new heights with their latest releases
The View from Felton Road across the Pinot Noir vines of Block 3, center background
I was glad to have had the chance to spend some time with Felton Road’s winemaker, Blair Walter, this past month. For someone interested in experiencing the unique cool climate wines of New Zealand’s Central Otago region, these are must try wines.
Every effort is being made at Felton Road to allow the wines to express their terroir, while capturing the intense fruit flavors the vines are capable of providing. While not inexpensive by any stretch, the entire Felton Road line-up stood out, offering a sense of vibrancy and transparency, yet with rich, ripe fruit flavors. An attractive balance indeed. Read the complete report here.
Working with some 32 hectares (almost 80 acres) of vineyards on three distinct properties, 2 of which are owned, the third controlled by a long-term lease, Felton Road has been able to bottle Estate wines since it’s first vintage in 1997.
The viticulture has progressed through a move to organic farming in 2002, followed by a conversion to Biodynamic techniques begun in 2003, and was completed in 2005. The winery is in the process of being certified Biodynamic by Demeter this year.
As one would expect vinification techniques are in line with the Biodynamic principles and are as non-intrusive as possible. Whether that means the use of wild yeasts, allowing the malolactic fermentation to begin naturally, or neither filtering nor fining the wines, the end results are about 12,500 cases of ripe, expressive and complex wines annually.
The use of whole cluster fermentation for the Pinot Noirs, some 20-40% depending on vintage and vineyard, and the use of new oak at decidedly low levels, add another layer of complexity to the finished wines. While these techniques add a real impact to the finished wines, I am particularly fond of a bit of stems in my Pinot, Blair is very carefully to make sure that everything that is done enhances the finale wine, while not obscuring the purity of flavor that he is able to obtain from these vineyards.
Each of the three vineyards is broken up into distinct blocks based on the soil composition. Each block has then been paired with a specific pairing of rootstock and vine in an effort to allow both soil and vine to speak in the finished wines. There are several distinct Chardonnay and Pinot Noir bottlings that carry single vineyard or block designations and each one offers a unique experience.
I asked Blair to offer some background information on the vintages we tried and briefly his points were:
2006 – Quite hot and therefore a very early and ample vintage. Some wines show somewhat elevated alcohol levels, but the wines have fresh fruit and good balance.
2007 – A cool spring and rain during flowering reduced yields by 25% or more and gave a small crop of small berries. The warmth that dominated the middle and end of the growing season helped the fruit to ripen on schedule and yielded a crop of rich, powerful yet fresh wines.
2008 – The return of a warm, sunny spring ensured a good crop set this year and the dry and cool weather during harvest allowed for extended hang time in the vineyard. The wines reflect this with their balance of ripe fruit and vibrant acidity, Interestingly, the rainfall during the growing season was so well dispersed that some vines in heavier soils went the season without irrigation. An attribute Blair credits to their conversion to Biodynamic farming.
Riesling, an emerging star
New Zealand is best known for its Sauvignon Blanc, and then perhaps Chardonnay if one is considering white wines. Both better watch out. The cool climate and poor soils are allowing for the production of Rieslings that will soon be ready to compete with the world's best.
Chardonnay, second to none
The cool climate of Central Otago has proven perfect for those who appreciate their Chardonnay on the elegnat, restrained side. With a deft use of oak, these wines have emerged as some of the most complex, balanced, focused expressions of the grape in the New World.
Pinot Noir, a sign of things to come
While we tasted the soon to be relaesed 2008's with winemaker Blair Walter, the notes for those wines can be found on the site, the 2007 Pinot Noir is readily available and serves as a brilliant introduction to the house style.
Other Felton Road wines recently tasted and due in the market soon.
Each of these wines was bottled under screwcap in an effort to help preserve the freshness of the wines. Don't allow that to sway your view of these wines. They are world class wines and few producers are able to offer a range of wines that perform at this high level. I was impressed by the wines freshness, depth and balance and hope you will be as well. To read more about Felton Road click here.
