One of Aotearoa New Zealand's most significant wine events of the past five years kicks off this week on Tuesday 11 February for three precious Pinot Noir devoted days. The event is Pinot Noir NZ 2025 and it is to be held in Ĺtautahi, Christchurch. It makes sense to dedicate an entire event to Pinot Noir, which is the most planted red grape in New Zealand (5,613 hectares nationwide, second only to the vast plantings of Sauvignon Blanc) and this attracts vast international attention due to Pinot's formidable reputation for being tricky. It can be tricky to grow and produce anywhere in the world, let alone a small country at the bottom of the globe, which has only been making serious wine since the 1970s. Pinot Noir has thin skins, buds early, ripens relatively early and mutates easily, which means it is incredibly diverse, due to clonal variations. Pinot Noir can be susceptible to fungal disease in damp conditions, frost in cool areas and heat in warmer places. In other words, the conditions need to be just right. It is to the credit of a vast number of winemakers in the South Island of New Zealand and in the Wairarapa region of the North Island that they have been able to coax some outstanding results from Pinot Noir, all within the space of three to four decades of life as a winemaking country.
So, if you happen to be at a loose end between Tuesday 11 and Thursday 13 February and happen to be in New Zealand, find out more about tickets to Pinot Noir NZ 2025 here.
In the meantime, here are two exceptional Pinot Noirs, which are my top drops this week.
Wines of the week - Felton Road Pinot Noirs 2023
This exciting duo, along with a small handful of other wines, represent the pinnacle of Pinot Noir from Aotearoa, New Zealand.
These two come from Felton Road winery, one of the most respected producers in New Zealand, which produces some of the country's most sought after wines each year. All grapes used in all wines made at Felton Road are grown on estate owned land. This means the winery team has full oversight and management of the land, which they farm biodynamically (no herbicides, pesticides, insecticides or any other 'cides' in use) and treat with the sort of respect that almost makes you feel you could breakfast off the ground. The team includes winery owner Nigel Greening, winemaker Blair Walter and vineyard estate manager Gareth King, cellar and technical manager Larissa Woods-Cellar and La Petite Fromage Tracy Thomson (no relation but clearly blessed with a great name and job title; she who holds much of the operation together), among others in the team and the collaboration of everyone is, says Blair Walter, what brings the great results to bottle and the glass each year.
Wines of the week - two new Felton Road Pinot Noirs
19/20
2023 Felton Road Calvert Pinot Noir RRP $102
This is one of the great vineyard sites in Central Otago and is planted entirely in Pinot Noir, all of which is hand picked with approximately 23% whole bunch fermented and 100% outstanding wine as a result of these and other incremental quality steps in production. Lifted aromatics of plush dark cherry and ripe, concentrated plums sit within a framework of firm but balanced acidity. This adds great structure to this wine, providing it with excellent depth of flavour and length now but also giving it the potential for a long life, if cellared in good conditions. Oak maturation on this wine was 13 months in French oak barriques, typically 20% of which were new.
This is one of the great Pinot Noirs of Aotearoa, New Zealand, every year. It drinks well now and will definitely age, evolving into an even more rewarding wine over the next 10+ years.
19/20
2023 Pinot Noir Block 5 RRP $138.50
This is one of the most sought after Pinot Noirs produced in Central Otago and in New Zealand each year, typically displaying muscularity and power in its youth, which evolve over time into a silky textured wine with deep flavours of dark macerated cherries and a hint of savouriness. Winemaker Blair Walter makes Block 5 Pinot Noir exactly the same way as Calvert Pinot Noir (featured above in this column), with the only difference being a longer time on French oak barriques of typically 16 to 17 months for this wine.
This new 2023 Felton Road Block 5 Pinot Noir is youthful right now with bright freshness and layers of complexity evident. It drinks well, begging to be decanted and preferably also cellared for at least five years. It has the structure and depth to age well for 10+ years in good cellar conditions.
I am visiting Felton Road Wines during vintage 2025 and looking forward to an insight into all aspects of the wines while there.
As I say, possibly too often, watch this space.
