New Zealand En Primeur

Felton Road is a property that transcends classification. They know the ropes, they blazed the trails, and the wines exude a confidence that only comes with time, knowledge, and a deep understanding of their material and the land they work.

From The Winemaker

Blair Walter, Felton Road’s stalwart winemaker is very pleased with what he calls ‘deeply impressive’ wines from 2023. In his own words, they are ‘very Felton Road: pure, classic, balanced and not excessive in any dimension, and wines that will readily sit amongst our very best’.

The Weather

2023 will be remembered for Cyclone Gabrielle which wreaked havoc for much of the North Island but Central Otago escaped entirely. For Felton Road, they enjoyed a hot and dry, disease-free spring and summer with good fruit set although the yields reduced through the drought, concentrating the fruit. The end of the season saw almost half of the average annual rainfall and temperatures cooled significantly with spells of frost and a few instances of snowfall. Blair & Co were actually pleased that the ‘easy’ first part of the vintage had this trickier ending as it brought character and edge, the cooler conditions prolonging the vintage and allowing the teams to pick pretty much at their leisure.

The Style

The Pinots display a generosity and richness from the warm dry summer, they are expressive and charming and show excellent transparency from plot to plot. These are structured but supple with a luxurious texture and wonderful overall balance with great potential. The Chardonnays are amongst the best ever – super clean and showing great definition, combining an easy balanced richness and bright acidity.

Te Mata is the oldest winery in New Zealand having been established in 1896. The estate is 250 hectares with 150 planted under vines. The company is family-owned and is under the direction of John Buck OBE with the help of his son Nick and business partner Peter Cowley.

Like a lot of New Zealand wineries great emphasis is placed on their environmental credentials, Te Mata is no exception being a member of New Zealand’s Sustainable Wine Growing programme. Te Mata means Sleeping Giant in Maori and concerns a local mythical giant called Hinerakau.

Named after the distinctive car radiator of a Morris Cowley, the Bullnose is 100% Syrah, sourced from Hawke’s Bay vines first planted in 1990. Stylistically, it has its roots in the Northern Rhône but it carries a Kiwi charm.

Bullnose Syrah is no stranger to critical acclaim, but the 2020 vintage reaches another level. With higher overall scores than any other previous release, the 2020 is the best yet!