2010 Felton Road Block 3 Pinot Noir 750ml

Felton Road is responsible, to a large extent, for putting Central Otago on the world Pinot Noir map. The wines are, well not so much fruit-driven, as perhaps turbo-charged! Amazing levels of red fruits, a subtle yet important savoury component, along with the silky texture all Pinot enthusiasts long for. This single-block wine shows how different portions of a single vineyard can still have a quite unique character, or what the French would call terrior.

The season started slowly after a cool and wet winter. There were some frosts throughout the spring but nothing severe that couldn't be fought and no damage was sustained. Excellent weather during flowering and with a little green harvest in some blocks, resulted in perfect crop loads and a very even bunch maturity. January was cool and wet but then February and March balanced this with warm and very dry weather. The vines were in very healthy condition with harvest commencing on March 30 and concluding on April 23. There was nothing extraordinary about the growing season and it can be regarded as a very fine year. Low sugar levels at harvest (important to keep alcohols from climbing too high) and stable acidities were a very pleasing aspect of the 2010 vintage

Immediately quite masculine on the nose: herbs, earth and brooding dark spices rather than a flower basket. The palate is at once intensely concentrated but with searing transparency. The herbs dance through the raspberry and cherry, with a host of complex detail shining through that encourages one to linger and explore. Regal and structured, but not intimidating, it sails into a long chocolate finish.

Region: Central Otago