Tasting Note

Benefitting from gentle northerly exposure, the mature vines of Block 6 have channelled every minute of golden autumn sunlight into a wine of arresting vitality. Sensitive élevage tempers exuberant notes of peach and grapefruit, allowing nuances of brioche and hazelnut to lend depth and complexity. A subtle saline edge emerges on the finish as the fruit reaches its crescendo—at once thirst-slaking and thought-provoking. A wine of complexity through simplicity.

Introduction

Founded in 1991 through meticulous site selection and vineyard design, Felton Road remains a benchmark of integrity and precision. A strict 100% estate-grown policy, together with fully organic and biodynamic viticulture (BioGro and Demeter certified), ensures that fruit arrives at the winery in its purest possible form.

A commitment to hands-off winemaking—gravity flow, indigenous yeasts and malolactic fermentation, and the avoidance of fining or filtration—preserves the most authentic expression of each site’s terroir. The result is Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir that capture the depth, complexity, and individuality of Felton Road’s Bannockburn vineyards.

Gareth King – Viticulturist | Blair Walter – Winemaker | Nigel Greening – Proprietor

Vineyard & Viticulture

Felton Road farms 34 hectares across four properties in the Bannockburn subregion of Central Otago. Block 6, planted in 1993, sits on a north-facing slope immediately south of Block 5 within The Elms Vineyard. Its higher elevation (282–300m) and steeper incline provide optimal sunlight interception, though the site is more exposed to prevailing winds.

Meticulous vineyard management—including shoot thinning, positioning, leaf plucking, bunch thinning, and hand harvesting—ensures optimal fruit quality. A single vertical shoot-positioned (VSP) canopy promotes uniform ripening, while cover crops are used between rows to improve soil health, vine balance, and biodiversity.

Vintage 2024

Following a wet September, spring began with good soil moisture and budburst in early October. Temperatures remained moderate, with a warm, dry December allowing for successful flowering and fruit set. Persistent dryness through January and February reduced berry size and produced fruit with elevated phenolic concentration and complexity.

Judicious irrigation maintained vine health through the dry period, and stable average temperatures enabled a slow, steady ripening. The hallmark of March 2024 was its cool nights, which preserved freshness, acidity, and fruit precision. Chardonnay was harvested between 18 and 27 March.

Vinification

Predominantly Mendoza clone with a small portion of Dijon clone 95, the fruit from Block 6 was hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, and settled overnight before being transferred by gravity to barrel in the underground cellar.

Fermentation occurred with indigenous yeasts in seasoned French oak (no new oak), followed by a long, complete malolactic fermentation over spring and summer. The wine matured for 17 months in barrel (including 11 months on gross lees) before being carefully racked to tank and bottled in late August 2025. No fining or filtration was employed.