Felton Road Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2024

Felton Road Bannockburn Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand, 2024

Grape: 100% Pinot Noir, hand picked, natural yeast fermentation using 20% whole cluster fruit. Aged for 13 months in 20% new French oak barrels from artisan Burgundian coopers. No fining or filtering. Vine age: 7-27 years.

Felton Road farms four properties totalling 32 ha in the Bannockburn sub-region of Central Otago. This wine is a blend from all four vineyards; Cornish Point, Calvert, MacMuir and The Elms.

A strict 100% estate policy with fully organic and biodynamic viticulture ensures that fruit arrives at the winery as pure as it can be, while the entire estate comes as close to true sustainability as is possible. A commitment to hands off winemaking: gravity flow, wild yeasts, wild malolactic, an avoidance of fining and filtration all help preserve the wine's expression of its terroir.

Producer Tasting Note:

A potpourri of dark petals and Indian spices dominate the inviting bouquet. Dark and deep fruit on the palate is amply supported by complexing savoury and earthy notes. It’s not just fruit, there’s so much more contributing. This is our diverse four vineyards coming together to superbly express the classic character of Bannockburn: black cherry fruit notes and silky, chocolate laden tannins.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"A delicious wine with purity of fruit, the signature of site and vintage are clear with a bouquet of freshness, power and varietal prowess. Dark cherry and savoury dried herbs, hat and sandy clay soil complexities, violet and wild forest flowers the spice. Dry, complex and textured with a gentle tautness with an abundance of polished tannins and backbone of acidity. Flavours of dried raspberry, dark berries, plum and dark cherry are released throughout the palate and as the wine opens out in glass delivers energy, purity and freshness. Delicious and lengthy with best drinking from late 2026 through 2035+"

95/100 points (Outstanding), Cameron Douglas MS, November 2025

"Pure aromas of strawberries, orange peel, sandalwood and potpourri. It’s medium-bodied with firm yet fine tannins and a crisp and delicious finish. So attractive now, with just the right amount of tension at the end. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold."

95/100 points, James Suckling, October 2025

"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."

96/100 points, Bob Campbell MW, 2025

Food Match: Try this wine with lamb samosas or a Massaman duck curry.