2025 Felton Road Pinot Noir Calvert
Tasting Note
Deep, serious, complex – a reflection of the
vines’ travails following the frost of 3
November? Perhaps; but these are descriptors
which attach themselves to Calvert with
regularity - much as ‘violets’, ‘pomegranate’,
and ‘amaro’ do – all apt in this wine.
Characteristic clay-derived tannins deftly hold
the palate, relaxing into a silky finish. In 2025,
frost robbed Calvert of some of its yield but none
of its character.
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 totalling 34 ha in
the Bannockburn subregion of Central Otago. Calvert
Vineyard is located on Felton Road and is just 1km east
of The Elms Vineyard and the winery. The soils at
Calvert are deep heavy silts with a thin layer of loess
topsoil. 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
Abundant rain in September and October replenished
soil-water reserves. After a later than average budbreak,
the vines grew well until a katabatic frost, the most
extensive in twenty years, struck the vineyards on 3
November. Fortunately, losses were localised within
vineyards and occurred early enough in the season for
many vines to recover. A benign, settled period
coincided with flowering and a successful fruit set did
much to compensate for the damage from the frost.
Summer saw even temperatures and a protracted dry
period, which served to slow down ripening and
concentrate flavours. After February finished with a
warm flourish, the weather cooled distinctly, especially
at night. Harvest commenced at Cornish Point on 25
March, followed closely by Calvert and Elms, with all
Pinot Noir being completed at MacMuir on 16 April.
The slow and measured conclusion of ripening has
endowed the wines with an impressive breadth,
harmony and finesse.
Vinification
The unique gravity flow winery enabled the grapes to
be gently destemmed directly into open-top
fermenters without harsh pumping with
approximately 25% retained as whole clusters. Long
pre-fermentation soaks of 9 days prior to
fermentation with indigenous yeasts and punched
down by hand up to two times per day, with a total
time on skins of 22-25 days. Pressed off and barrels
filled immediately by gravity to the underground
barrel cellars. The wine spent 17 months in barrel
(20% new French) with two rackings and no fining or
filtration, before bottling in late-August 2026.