Red

97 points Wine Advocate
The 2021 Sauvage Vineyard Pinot Noir is supremely pretty. It's elegant and fine and still powerful, thanks to the Bannockburn area; however, the wine itself shows rose petals and spring flowers, graphite and pencil lead, white pepper and tapenade. Svelte and sleek, this is composed and detailed and so, so good. I am (mostly) resisting hyperbole and adverbs here. This is a standout wine from a superstar producer?an asset for the region and indeed the country (and the New World in general). 13.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.

94 points James Suckling 
Lovely seductive aromas of perfectly ripe strawberries with fresh flowers and orange. Medium body, very fine with orange peel and cherries as well as stone and hints of bark. Already delicious. A blend of their four vineyards. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.

92 points Wine Advocate 
The 2022 Bannockburn Pinot Noir is a blend of the four vineyards: Cornish Point, MacMuir, Block 3 and Block 5. It leads with violets, cherry blossom, pomegranate pearls, star anise and cracked fennel seeds. In the mouth, the wine is supple and spicy, with lashings of fruit flavor and a balancing splay of tannins through the mid-palate and finish. Nicely handled wine, satisfying and supple.

The Wine 100% Pinot Noir Sourced from four vineyards in the Bannockburn subregion The nature of being a gravity flow winery allows grapes to be gently destemmed without pumping 20% whole cluster fermentation Native yeast fermentation Aged for 13 months in French oak (30% new) No fining or filtering The Estate The winerys story begins with extensive research by Stewart Elms (inspiring the Elm tree logo) in 1991 which ultimately identified the north facing slopes at the end of Felton Road in Bannockburn as some of warmest and most ideal sites in all of Central Otago. Thanks to these findings, proprietor Nigel Greening made the decision to purchase the land which would eventually be transformed into the defining vineyard sites for Felton Road. Releasing their first commercial vintage in 1997, Felton Road has since developed an impressive reputation both in and outside New Zealand over the last three decades thanks to the singular vision of winemaker Blair Walter. While the winery is best known for its single vineyard expressions of Pinot Noir, Blairs limited production Chardonnay and Riesling bottlings are equally jaw-dropping. Even if you arent familiar with this winery, Im confident that your best customers will be. Not only do they represent one of the top wineries in New Zealand, but they are also widely considered to be one of the best Pinot Noir producers in the world at-large. Fast forwarding to present day, the winery remains committed to sourcing fruit from only their estate vineyards and everything is hand-picked. Since 2002, the vineyards have been managed organically and biodynamically, with their four vineyards eventually receiving full certification in 2010 by Demeter. Their aim is to promote a biodiverse ecosystem in their vineyards through the planting of cover crops which are kept in check by the herd of goats that call the vineyards home and their choice to naturally fertilize the vineyards with a clutch of chickens which forages amongst the vines. In the winery, Blair employs a minimal intervention approach indigenous yeasts, no fining or filtration, and no other additives. He keeps oak usage minimal with less than 30% new French oak on all of Felton Roads wines and approximately 15-30% whole cluster, depending on the vintage.

#82 on The Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2024!

90 points Wine Spectator
Plump, juicy raspberry, blueberry and maraschino cherry flavors mingle with notes of red licorice, blood orange, clove and green cardamom, backed by a hint of toasted green tea that lingers on the silky finish. Drink now. 1,000 cases made, 500 cases imported.