114
Drink it now or leave it in the cellar for 10 years. No need to decant. Based in Bannockburn, a sub-region of Central Otago on New Zealand’s South Island, Felton Road is an incredible model of success. In just 20 years, this winery has become a global benchmark for New World Pinot Noir production and has played a major role in the enviable positioning of the Central Otago appellation on the wine scene. The project is much more than a vineyard: it is a holistic, biodynamic farming operation dedicated to the principles of biodiversity and sustainability, where poultry, sheep, and cattle are raised alongside fruit, vegetables, and herbs that the Epicurean team at Felton Road happily consume every day. Felton Road's Block 3 Pinot Noir is an example of the estate's non-interventionist philosophy, made entirely with indigenous yeasts, unfiltered, unfined, and aged 13 months in French oak barrels of several wines. Considered the estate's flagship wine, this Pinot Noir has an elegant and complex nose made of layers of dark fruit, dried herbs, exotic spices, and leather. In the mouth, the wine shows all its finesse, its powerful soul, and its firm tannins. It's bold and concentrated with a long finish. Try it with duck or partridge.