2022 Felton Road 'Calvert' Pinot Noir, Central Otago

The Felton Road winery in New Zealand's Central Otago was established in 2000  by an Englishman called Nigel Greening, who is self-described as a Pinot Noir "addict" from England, and has been farmed organically & and biodynamically since then. A little recap on Central Otago: it grows the world’s most southerly grapevines, some of them cultivated south of the 45th parallel! It is New Zealand’s only wine region with a continental climate, providing greater diurnal and seasonal temperature variability than any other. Most Central Otago vines are planted on hillside vineyards to give better sun exposure and reduce frost risk. No other New Zealand wine region is as dependent on a single grape variety. Pinot Noir is the most planted by far with over 75% of plantings in the region. Why do we like it? The fruit from Calvert Vineyard always produces a particularly intense wine. The 2022 is alongside the same line, with a really intense nose with notes of candied red flowers, ripe cherries, and a hint of beetroot. It also displays a lovely savoury flavor, almost gamey, and great smooth and juicy tannins. Elegant and long, it almost reaches the complexity of Burgundy reds but has a little more sweetness to it.   Grape           Pinot Noir   Country        New Zealand Region          Central Otago                     Vintage         2022