{"api":{"host":"https:\/\/pinot.decanter.com","authorization":"Bearer ZWM4YWExY2VlMmQ5ZDg0YzU3MTJlZTM2ZTczNDY4NmM1YzI2YzM0NmJlM2JmNDlmMmFkYWRmMzI3N2RkMGMxYg","version":"2.0"},"piano":{"sandbox":"false","aid":"6qv8OniKQO","rid":"RJXC8OC","offerId":"OFPHMJWYB8UK","offerTemplateId":"OFPHMJWYB8UK","wcTemplateId":"OTOW5EUWVZ4B"}}

PREMIUM

Top Felton Road wines: Biodynamics coming of age

At Felton Road's 21st anniversary tasting in London, Rebecca Gibb MW found out how its biodynamic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines have evolved over time...

The past two decades at Felton Road are a microcosm of Central Otago and the wider New Zealand wine scene. 

The vines have matured along with their guardians, making increasingly sophisticated wine – that’s why the anniversary vertical tasting did not trace its roots all the way to 1997.

‘By starting with 2005, we are able to show a reasonable amount of vine age and 2005 was our first full year of biodynamics,’ explained Greening. 

As the tasting crossed different vintages and Bannockburn sites, covering its five Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay trio, Felton Road’s seasons were recounted in the glass — from the cool 2005 harvest and the warmer conditions of 2008, through to the ‘extremely erratic’ year of 2017.


Felton Road vertical tasting:

You might also like:

Central Otago: Everything to know and wines to try

Ata Rangi McCrone Vineyard: Tasting the difference

New Zealand 2016: Reds to buy, including top Pinot Noir

Latest Wine News