Felton Road produce some of the greatest wines in New Zealand. From their base in Central Otago, the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays made here are personality-driven, high quality and ageworthy. Led by Nigel Greening, winemaker Blair Walter continues to raise the quality ceiling for these wines year in, year out.

Progressive farming has always been at the heart of Felton's philosophy. The wines are made from 100% estate grown fruit. The vineyards have been managed with biodynamics since 2002, with older vines now reaping the rewards of diligent work to produce superb fruit with real depth. This allows winemaking to be hands-off :  wild yeasts, no fining or filtration and the use of whole-bunches and new wood in moderation give the wines their signature.

The 2023 vintage is one with real potential. Dry and warm weather in January developed berries with small size and high levels of tannin, meaning these are great wines with long drinking windows. Rains in March gave relief to dry vineyards and cooler evenings kept freshness, allowing for a less frantic harvest than was feared, with high quality fruit unaffected by disease pressure.

The Bannockburn Pinot represents the core of the production at Felton. If you are yet to try one of their wines, this is the place to start. It is a blend of Cornish Point, Calvert, MacMuir and The Elms (pictured above). 20% whole-bunch and 25% new wood are deployed here to add to the aromatics and texture without dominating the wine. This wine will drink well from the get-go but is a serious offering, with 93 points from Erin Larkin in the Wine Advocate ("This is a great wine") and 95 from James Suckling.  It is a terrific Pinot Noir for the money.

The single vineyards are all made in very small quantities, with distinct personalities unified by Felton's signature depth and spice.

Cornish Point is surrounded by Lake Dunstan on three sides, jutting out into the water in a manner where the mesoclimate endows the Pinot with a supple sweetness and aromatic intensity. 

Calvert lies just to the east of the winery. This early-ripening site sees lots of sunshine, with compacted silt soils moderating the size of both the berries and the bunches, giving more grip, texture and salinity. 

MacMuir is the newest addition to the range. Planted to high density with diverse clonal selections, the site is warm but sheltered, and the soils are a similar profile to Calvert, meaning the fruit here has a similar quality with added plushness and a softer tannic structure. 

The Chardonnays fly under the radar but are of increasingly high quality. Their subtlety and quiet confidence belies their ageing capacity - you can drink these for well over a decade. Block 2 was planted in 1992 on schist soils that face east, producing an elegant, fine-boned wine. Block 6 was planted in 1993, on a steep north-facing slope that both sees lots of sunlight and is moderated by its exposition to cooling winds, yet it always shows a touch more power, ripeness and exuberance than the Block 2.

These are benchmark wines from New Zealand that compete on a global stage in terms of absolute quality. They are all available for immediate delivery.