Felton Road - 'MacMuir' Pinot Noir 2022

Sometimes it can be hard to find a word to match what seems so clear to the senses. The nose is dark, as is the colour, beguiling, but restrained. There is a stature to the palate here; a sort of authority to the way it stands back and allows you to explore its detail. A definite sprig of herbs, chocolate notes, but still so transparent that every nuance is revealed. It seems extraordinary that this is just the second time we’ve made MacMuir as a single vineyard release: it’s Felton Road, to be sure, but in a different dimension.

Felton Road

Felton Road dates back to 1991 when Elms Vineyard was planted in Bannockburn, Central Otago. This vineyard actually is on Felton Road (where the name comes from!). The winemaker, Blair Walter, has been there since 1997 and has helped to craft some of New Zealand's most well known and respected Pinot Noirs. 

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir produces some of the world's most expensive, most lauded, rarest and delicious wines. Equally it is one of the most difficult grapes to grow successfully and as a result it is quite hard to make a balanced Pinot Noir. It is historically from Burgundy, most specifically in the Cote de Nuits, so much so that people will refer to Pinot Noir as a 'Burgundy'. Here the wines are light with an array of bright red fruit and floral flavours.

Central Otago

Central Otago is one of the most southerly wine regions in the world and it is most commonly referred to as Pinot Central, in New Zealand. It has a long history of winemaking dating back to the mid 1800s and in fact a 'Burgundy' from Central Otago won a gold medal in a Sydney wine competition in 1881. A few winemakers including Alan Brady helped to craft it into a leading Pinot Noir region for the world thanks to his fruit-bombs. Many fantastic aromatic white wines excel here also.