Bannockburn producer Felton Road farms estate vineyards for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling under organic and biodynamic management.
The producer
Felton Road farms the north facing slopes at the end of Felton Road in Bannockburn, Central Otago. Three free draining, low fertility soil types support Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling. The site was identified using heat summation data and soil maps. The vineyards have organic and biodynamic management, with all four holding Demeter and BioGro certification. Fruit comes from the estate vineyards.
Known for
Bannockburn estate Pinot Noir
Notable facts
Gareth King leads Felton Road's own viticulture team.
Shoot thinning, shoot positioning, leaf plucking and bunch thinning are carried out by hand as required.
Organic compost uses winery waste, organic cow manure and straw.
Cover crops and wildflowers grow within the vineyard, while goats control briar on the hillsides.
All grapes are carefully hand picked, with quality differences within blocks kept separate by clones, rootstocks and viticultural trials.
The story
Blair Walter Joins
In 1996, Felton Road hired Blair Walter as winemaker after its 1995 and 1996 harvests had been sold to Gibbston Valley. Walter arrived before the 1997 vintage, which became Felton Road's first official vintage. He then oversaw the winery's first 25 official vintages. A vintage is the wine made from one harvest, so the sequence places Walter's appointment immediately before Felton Road's first official harvest. The early fruit went elsewhere; the next vintage began Felton Road's official run. The two harvests and the new appointment sit on either side of that change.
From the atlas
Felton Road
Felton Road farms Bannockburn estate vineyards for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling under organic and biodynamic management.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Region
Central Otago, New Zealand
Location
Bannockburn, at the end of Felton Road
Grapes
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling
Farming
Organic and biodynamic management
Named bottle
Felton Road MacMuir Pinot Noir
The Producer
Felton Road farms estate vineyards in Bannockburn, Central Otago, and sources fruit only from those vineyards. Gareth King leads the estate viticulture team. The Elms vineyard changed scale after Nigel Greening bought it in 2000: it covered 9 hectares then and later grew to 14.6 hectares.
The vineyard program has been organic and biodynamic since 2002. All four vineyards received Demeter certification in 2010 and BioGro certification in 2020. Compost uses winery waste, organic cow manure and straw. Cover crops and wildflowers grow within the vineyard, goats control briar on the hillsides, and chickens forage and manure among the vines.
For Pinot Noir, fermentation generally begins with about five days of cold soak, then warmth encourages spontaneous fermentation without added yeast. The wine remains on skins for 18 to 20 days before pressing, a period that extracts colour and tannin.
Place
Stewart Elms used heat summation data and soil maps in 1991 to identify the north facing slopes at the end of Felton Road in Bannockburn as one of the warmest and most ideal sites in Central Otago.
Three identified soil types are free draining and low in fertility. Free draining ground moves water away from the vine roots, while low fertility moderates growth. Felton Road grows Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling on these soils, bringing one red grape and two white grapes together in the same Bannockburn estate.
Wines
Felton Road's named Pinot Noir bottlings include MacMuir, Bannockburn, Cornish Point and Block 5. The range also includes Felton Road Bannockburn Chardonnay, a white Chardonnay from the 2024 vintage.
MacMuir 2024 has transparent feeling middle palate fruit shaped by fine savoury tannins, with notes of blackberry, black cherry, blood plum and cocoa. The named wines keep Pinot Noir at the centre of the red range, while Chardonnay and Riesling extend the estate's grape selection into white wine.
A Bottle To Understand It
Open Felton Road MacMuir Pinot Noir first. It is a red Pinot Noir from Felton Road's estate vineyards, putting the producer's own fruit and its central red grape together in one bottle. The choice keeps the first bottle focused on estate sourcing and Pinot Noir before moving through the other named wines.
Final Word
Felton Road farms its own vineyards in Bannockburn, grows Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling, and hand picks every grape. Organic and biodynamic management, compost, cover crops, goats and chickens are part of the working vineyard.