10 Felton Road New Releases
Felton Road - Winery of the Year New Zealand 2025 (again!)
“In the case of Felton Road, there is such sheer concentration and power underneath that there is no doubt the wines will age gracefully into complex, beguiling old bottles over time.”
- Stephen Wong MW, The Real Review
The 2024 & 2025 Releases
incl.
3 Rieslings, 2 Chardonnays and 5 Pinot Noirs
Monday December 1
No host - a relaxed evening tasting.
Masterclass: 5.30-7pm, 10 Wines, Canapés, $95
Dinner: 7.30pm, 10 Wines & 4 Course Menu, $185
The Real Review
Rieslings, Chardonnays & Pinot Noirs Points in Context
It is undeniable that Felton Road is one of the finest New World producers of pinot noir and a benchmark for those seeking the best that New Zealand wines have to offer.
Founder Nigel Greening and winemaker Blair Walter have built the world-famous wine brand around fastidious site selection and viticulture (Demeter and Biogro Certified Biodynamic) and a range of wines that are not only beautifully crafted and compete effortlessly on the world stage, but speak so clearly of the intricacies of their Central Otago vineyards.
The emphasis is on transparency of site and minimal intervention – great farming, gravity flow winery, wild yeasts, wild malo and no fining or filtration. An inspiring producer of the highest caliber.
Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
Felton Road - Winery Accolades and Awards
The Real Review New Zealand Winery of the Year 2024 and 2025
#3 Real Review Top Wineries of NZ 2023
#5 Real Review Top Wineries of NZ 2022
#3 Real Review Top Wineries of NZ 2021
#4 Real Review Top Wineries of NZ 2020
#3 Real Review Top Wineries of NZ 2021
#19 World’s Most Admired Wine Brands 2023
#19 World’s Most Admired Wine Brands 2022
#14 World’s Most Admired Wine Brands 2021
#24 World’s Most Admired Wine Brands 2020
#12 World’s Most Admired Wine Brands 2019
# 9 World’s Most Admired Wine Brands 2018
#13 World’s Most Admired Wine Brands 2017
“I cannot think of a more deserving winery occupying the top slot.”
Bob Campbell
“Felton Road is the Winery of the Year New Zealand 2025, proving that they have not rested on their laurels since winning in 2024.”
Stephen Wong, MW
The Wine List & Menu
1st Bracket
2025 Felton Road ‘Bannockburn’ Riesling
A pure and exact expression from these venerable vines in their 32nd season. Grown on free-draining alluvial soils, the fruit from this block yields a wine with characteristic delicacy and precision. Beguiling notes of elderflower, mint and kiwifruit waft over a palate that is perfectly poised; the balance of sugar and acid is so harmonious as to integrate both components into the wine in their entirety. Fresh, filigree, and weightless.
Winemaker Tasting Note
2025 Felton Road ‘Dry’ Riesling
A compelling interplay of aromas; vibrant yellow and orange fruits overlaid with notes of citrus blossom and chalk dust. The palate extends in all directions; bright acidity provides length whilst succulent nectarine fruit lends breadth and weight. 2025 marked the latest date this block has ever been harvested; a decision fully vindicated by the sumptuous nature of the fruit on the palate, which holds and then unfurls, building to a clean, incisive finish.
Winemaker Tasting Note
2025 Felton Road ‘Block 1’ Riesling
Always the last parcel to be harvested, the 2025 Block 1 is a most mellifluous rendition of this site. Flavours of the orchard abound; nectarine, pear, apple, and apricot. The interplay of body, sweetness and acidity endow the palate with a precisely delineated structure; this wine is no melange of fruit but rather, a procession. A vinous rendition of Cromwell’s most famous landmark – our town’s famous “Big Fruit” structure!
Winemaker Tasting Note
2nd Bracket
2023 Felton Road ‘Bannockburn’ Chardonnay
2024 Felton Road ‘Block 2’ Chardonnay
Over 30 years on the free draining schist of Block 2, these vines have developed a Spartan sense of resilience. Limpid and fresh in the glass, initial notes of elderflower and chamomile lend a sense of finesse that belies the latent power of the palate. Block 2 is, as ever, clear, uncompromising and linear. A taut line of acidity streaks across a palate awash with Meyer lemon and grapefruit rind, leading to a refreshing mineral finish. Chiselled, vibrant, crystalline. A wine that could come from nowhere else.
Winemaker Tasting Note
3rd Bracket
2024 Felton Road ‘Bannockburn’ Pinot Noir
This wine makes my heart beat faster. It is delicate yet powerful, ethereal but wonderfully harmonious. I love its beautifully nuanced array of flavours that are displayed like the colours on a peacock’s tail and linger long after the wine has been swallowed. I have a cast-iron rule that prevents me from swallowing wine samples during tastings. I managed to stick to my guns. It wasn’t easy.
96 Points - Bob Campbell
2024 Felton Road ‘Cornish Point’ Pinot Noir
Red cherry, plum and a hint of dried herbs open the nose in a delightfully fragrant manner. The aromatics deftly define the knife edge ripeness that’s critical for great Pinot Noir; dialled in with ease in the exceptional 2024 vintage. Cardamom, mace and cranberry make an appearance, followed by a finely poised mouthfeel. The silky tannins are luscious and sweet, providing backbone and length. A typically expressive Cornish Point.
Winemaker Tasting Note
2024 Felton Road ‘Calvert’ Pinot Noir
As is so often the case with Calvert, what impresses most is the wine’s subtlety and precision; patience is rewarded as the site methodically reveals itself. Earthy, dark cherry and plum aromas expand outward, becoming delicately floral; rose and violet infused. The mineral, graphite-textured palate builds - ever so subtly - to a rich, leather-bound cocoa finish. A most urbane expression of this vineyard and its deep clay soils.
Winemaker Tasting Note
4th Bracket
2024 Felton Road ‘MacMuir’ Pinot Noir
James Suckling – 96 Points
This is really beautiful, with ripe strawberries, peaches, slate, smoke and a hint of graphite on the nose and palate. Medium-bodied with fine, creamy, velvety tannins and a long, lightly chewy finish with some crunchiness. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
Bob Campbell MW – 96 Points
A mix of luscious berry fruit and elegant floral characters framed by fine-grained tannins that begin to melt as the wine sits in the glass revealing layers of flavours. A wine with personality and heft. Approachable now but with mouthwatering development potential.
2024 Felton Road ‘Block 5’ Pinot Noir
Immediately complex, the Block 5 bouquet runs the full and essential spectrum from green through red to black. A wine of seamless expanse; the palate is filled with morello, sandalwood and nutmeg without ever feeling sweet. Silky tannins reveal themselves on a finish of poise and elegance; the structure and balance of the wine endow it with the potential to age effortlessly. The aristocratic ease of this expression, as always, reflects the harmonious relationship of these mature vines and the land which benevolently accommodates them.
Winemaker Tasting Note