2021 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. Decanter Anne Krebiehl MW January 2023  97 Points A lovely note of raspberry leaf and peony petal floats above pure and tart notes of crushed blackberry on the nose while black pepper shimmers. The palate is wonderfully crunchy, has echoes of smoke and fine tannins. Red fruit peeks through on the midpalate while the finish echoes hauntingly with peony and pepper. 13 months in 25% new French oak barrels. The Real Review Bob Campbell MW August 2021  97/100 Fine-boned pinot noir that was a little closed initially but soon opened up with a few swirls of the glass. Restrained cherry/berry fruit is intertwined with savoury characters suggesting roast chestnut, toasted nut and spice flavours. Very classy wine that needs time to reveal its true potential. The Wine Front Gary Walsh August 2022  95 Points The 25th bottling of Block 3. Time passes! Tasted alongside the 2019 and 2014 Block 3 (I liked the 2021 the best). Intense cherry and spice, more of a ‘mineral’ feel here with an excellent set of high quality tannin, they really lay out over the mouth, a twang of burnt orange peel, and a firm finish of good length. Intensity moved up a notch in this wine, and impressive it is too.  Region: Central Otago