F E L T O N R O A D W I N E S L T D B A N N O C K B U R N C E N T R A L O T A G O N E W Z E A L A N D www.feltonroad.com TEL 64 3 445 0885 FAX 64 3 445 0881 E-MAIL wines@feltonroad.com
FELTON ROAD BANNOCKBURN, CENTRAL OTAGO, NEW ZEALAND Felton Road is located in Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand; the most southerly wine growing region in the world. The vineyards are nestled on gentle north facing slopes at elevations between 200 and 335 m above sea level and totally surrounded by high mountains up to 2000 m. The latitude of 45 degrees south is similar to Oregon s Willamette Valley and some of the finest wine regions of France. Central Otago is New Zealand s only wine region with a continental climate rather than maritime. This brings the risk of frosts but has the benefit of low rainfall, low humidity and high sunshine hours. The climate has a number of characteristics which seem to be particularly favourable to Pinot Noir: large diurnal shifts (days of 25-30 C followed by nights of 5 C), help create complexity in the flavours and retain acidity. The autumns are very long, cool and dry, permitting a long hang time with little risk of botrytis. We normally pick from the first week of April to the first week of May (October-November being the northern hemisphere equivalents). The cool autumn temperatures normally allow physiological ripeness to progress without grape sugars becoming excessive.
OUR VINEYARDS Our first vineyard: Elms, was selected by Stewart Elms in 1991 and planted the following year. It is a gentle north-facing valley, one of the few in Bannockburn to escape the attentions of the gold miners. Careful attention was given to the matching of vine varieties and rootstocks to the soil variations that are found on the site. Also natural gullies have been retained which guide cold frosty air through the vineyard away from the vines. We also lease a neighbouring vineyard on Felton Road. Calvert Vineyard is 10.2 ha and planted to 8 ha of Pinot Noir and 1 ha each of Chardonnay and Riesling. Viticulture is carried out organically and utilises biodynamic practices throughout. The vineyards are planted at vine densities of between 2700 to 4000 vines/ha, with more recent plantings up to 5000 vines/ha. Cornish Point Vineyard from the Northburn Hills We have 14.4 hectares of vines at Elms: about half Pinot Noir, the rest Chardonnay and Riesling. This vineyard defines the core of our wines. In addition, we have a 7.6 hectare vineyard nearby at Cornish Point, dedicated mostly to Pinot Noir, with 0.3 ha of Chardonnay. There are 18 different combinations of Pinot Noir clones and rootstock, each carefully matched to the soil profiles. The vineyard is designed to allow separate vinification of each section: a veritable laboratory of Pinot Noir and its possibilities. The canopies use a vertical shoot position trellis system with all pruning, shoot positioning, shoot thinning, leaf plucking and fruit thinning carried out by hand. We make extensive use of cover crops to supply a natural biodiversity in the vineyard which aids vine balance and soil structure and fertility. The use of natural manure obtained from organic sources for our compost aids our gentle touch approach to our vines. Harvesting is by hand normally starting around the beginning of April and each block is harvested and vinified separately.
WINEMAKING Our three level gravity-flow winery is specifically designed to make wine by hand in the gentlest way possible. Pinot Noir grapes are delivered by gravity to fermenters which avoids harsh pumping of grape must. The grapes are not crushed (destemmed only) and a varying percentage of whole bunches are used to add complexity and structure. Using wild yeasts for all our fermentations is an important part of our natural wine making philosophy and house style. Small open top fermenters are used and extended maceration both pre and post fermentation is carried out to optimise tannin and flavour extraction. Tanks are punched down from one to four times per day. After pressing off, the wine is run by gravity to barrel in our underground cellars. All our barrels are from Burgundian coopers, 3 year air dried, typically 30% new oak each vintage and selected for their slow extraction and subtlety of flavour. Natural malolactic fermentation occurs in the spring. Inoculation is not necessary; we simply open the cellar door to gently warm the wines. The wines are normally bottled after 11-12 months in barrel and sometimes up to 18 months. The Pinot Noirs are neither fined nor filtered and are normally only racked the once on the way to bottling. Chardonnay for barrel fermentation passes by gravity straight to the barrel from the press (no juice settling), to await a wild yeast ferment. Complete malolactic fermentation occurs in the spring with the barrels stirred (batonnage) periodically to encourage the malo and to enhance mouthfeel. Our Chardonnay barrels are also from Burgundian coopers, low extraction, 3 year air dried with only around 10-15% new oak used. Our Rieslings are whole bunch pressed then wild yeast fermented, with the wines being left on lees until bottling in the spring to develop complexity and mouthfeel. We normally make three different Rieslings of varying residual sweetness from the Dry Riesling (~3-8g/L), Riesling (~50g/L) and the Riesling Block 1 (~70g/L). The alcohols of the Rieslings are normally between 8.0-12.0%. Felton Road s winemaker, Blair Walter, studied at Lincoln University and Oregon State University, before working in New Zealand, Australia, Oregon, Napa Valley, and Burgundy. The philosophy is to let the fruit speak for itself: gentle handling, as little intervention as possible. Our wine is given a helping hand to express itself rather than moulded into an artificially created winery style. In order to best preserve this personality, we now bottle all of our wines with screwcap closures. We believe this will maximise the reliability and aging ability of our wines, as well as removing the ever present risk of cork taint and random oxidation.
OUR WINES Our single vineyard Block wines are made from sweet spots, in the vineyard where the vines and terroir form a resonance through (largely accidental) combination of clone, rootstock, soil and microclimate. They do not receive reserve treatment in vinification, but are treated as all other components from the vineyard. The idea is to taste the resonance not to blow it up by lavish winemaking. Our Block 1 Riesling comes from the steepest north facing slope at Elms, where the greater warmth and heavier soils allows the later harvest style to flourish. Block 3 is planted with predominantly clone AM 10/5 (ten bar five or Wadenswil as the Oregonians call the clone). The vines were planted in 1992 and are on their own roots. Block 5 is a similar sized section of Elms which is mostly planted to clone UCD 5 grafted to Riparia Gloire rootstock. Our Felton Road Pinot Noir is a blend of our three different vineyards. All the different vineyards, blocks, clones, rootstock differences and viticultural trials are all vinified separately in order to taste and learn, but are all recombined at the time of racking out of barrel just prior to bottling. It is therefore a mix of vine age and vineyard origin that provide the wine with many layers of flavours and textures. This is opposed to the much increased personality and expression that comes from a single vineyard or single Block wine. Only if a barrel has a technical fault would it be excluded as the idea is to taste the vineyard, not our interpretation of it.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM ROBERT PARKER, THE WINE ADVOCATE Felton Road s Pinot Noirs are breakthrough efforts in New Zealand and compete with the finest wines being made in California, Oregon and Burgundy s Cote D Or. NEAL MARTIN, THE WINE ADVOCATE AND EROBERTPARKER.COM Feted as one of New Zealand s best producers and justifiably so, in my opinion, for time and time again Felton Road s wines triumph against all-comers. DECANTER, ICONS OF TOMORROW Every wine region needs a hero. Sauternes has Yquem, Central Otago has Felton Road. From its first vintage a mere decade ago Felton Road has blazed a trail for other winemakers to follow. TOM STEVENSON, THE SOTHEBY'S WINE ENCYCLOPAEDIA The producer of New Zealand's greatest Pinot Noir and a stunning medium sweet Riesling. PHILIP RICH, THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL JOURNAL. By far the most notable name to have emerged from New Zealand in recent years. JAMES HALLIDAY, THE AUSTRALIAN Felton Road, with Blair Walter as winemaker, has consistently produced Pinots with exemplary finesse and length for more than five years. If there is to be a top producer, it has to be Felton Road. ROBERT JOSEPH; SUNDAY TIMES GOOD WINE GUIDE An instant superstar producing what may be New Zealand s top Pinot Noir as well as some very fine Rieslings. NEAL MARTIN, THE WINE ADVOCATE Whenever there is a tasting designed to challenge the supremacy of Burgundy, it is usually a Felton Road that is ushered into the ring, floats like butterfly and out-classes its bloated Old World champions. MATTHEW JUKES, EXPERTWINE.COM I can confirm that this is the single most impressive estate in NZ. And nobody at the moment is closing the gap on their lead. Each and every wine is fantastic.