New Zealand Pinot Noir

95 Points – Bob Campbell

Felton Road's entry level pinot noir is an elegant blend of several vineyards with a mix of savoury, earthy, herbal and coffee flavours with cherry, floral and spice characters. It's a supple and complex wine that reveals power through a lengthy finish.

18.5+ Points - Raymond Chan

Full, even, very dark ruby-red colour with black-purple hues, a little lighter on the rim. The nose is tightly bound and expressed with elegance of proportion, the fruit pronounced in fragrant dark-red and black cherry and berry aromas, along with dark-red florals and subtle, complexing herbal notes...

18.5 Points - Raymond Chan

Ruby-red colour with some depth, lighter on the edge with some garnet hues. The nose is elegantly proportioned with finely concentrated aromas of savoury dark-red berry and cherry fruit which form a tight core with notes of dark herbs, subtle whole bunch stalk fragrances and dark florals providing complexing interest...

400 cases produced.  

19- Points - Raymond Chan

Dark, deep, ruby-red colour with slight black and purple hues. The nose is well-proportioned with tight and densely packed aromas of black berried and dark-red berry fruit, along with notes of liquorice, savoury herb and whole bunch stalk elements, iron-earth and black minerals. The nose is reserved and brooding. Medium-full bodied, the palate is full and concentrated with powerful and deep flavours of dark-red and black berried fruits entwined with liquorice, dark herbs...

18 Points - Raymond Chan

We are delighted to introduce Akitu’s fourth vintage with production levels reaching a modest 430 cases, which translates to a little more for our customers. Their inaugural vintage (2012) produced a tiny 325 cases and sold-out within a matter of weeks.

99 Points - Bob Campbell

This a terrific example of one of the country's consistently best wines. I find the silken, seamless texture totally seductive. It's challenging to identify individual flavours because there are so many of them, this wine defines complexity. Floral, herb, berry fruit and an array of hard-to-describe savoury elements suggesting baked earth, wood smoke and the sort of scents you might encounter in sniffing distance of a Turkish spice stall.

97 Points - James Suckling

This has a very attractive, pure core of ripe red and black cherries, adorned in gently spicy and sappy nuances. Youthful and full of promise. The palate has a smoothly carved core of ripe red cherries with powder-fine tannins that build in layers and hold a supple, strong and focused finish. 

17.5 Points – Julia Harding (jancisrobinson.com)

A little darker than the 2008. More fragrant as well as more savoury. Oak spice a little more evident than on the 2008 though still subtle. So fresh and lively on the palate. Juicy red fruit but not at all bumptious. Silky though rich and long.

99 Points – Bob Campbell

Ripe, dense and fairly deep-coloured Pinot Noir with dark-fleshed plum, dark cherry, violet and liquorice flavours plus a hint of rhubarb on the aroma. Clearly a very complex wine that won’t reveal its full potential for a few years yet. I particularly like the wine’s silken texture and almost chewy body. It must surely rate as one of Dry River’s best ever Pinot Noir vintages.

 International Wine Challenge: Bronze 2016

916 cases produced.  

19.5 Points - Raymond Chan

Very dark, very deep, black-hued ruby-red colour with youthful purple tints, a little lighter on the rim. The nose is firmly concentrated with deep and intensely packed, fresh and vibrant aromas of dark-red berry and black cherry fruits melded with complexing layers of dark herbs and whole bunch stalk notes. The intensity and depth build in the glass. Medium-full bodied, the fruit flavours of dark-red berry and black cherry fruits are rich, ripe, lusciously sweet and vibrant and form...

This amazing wine comes personally hand signed and is displayed in a stunning presentation box.

18 Points - Raymond Chan "Light, even ruby-red colour with slight garnet-purple hues, lighter on the rim. This has a softly concentrated and well-packed nose with aromas of savoury dark-red berry and black cherry fruit melded with dark herbs and notes of earth and black minerals, unveiling subtle and harmonious oak and whole bunch stalk detail.  Medium-full bodied, the palate has a well-concentrated core of sweet dark-red and black berried fruit intermixed with dark herb and subtle whole bunch stalk elements, along with black mineral nuances.  The extraction provides balanced, fine-gained tannins and the mouthfeel is enlivened by fresh, balancing, lacy acidity.  This has a good line, leading to a lush, lively finish od red and black fruits and subtle herb notes.  This is a moderately concentrated, sweet, dark-fruited Pinot Noir with moderately extracted, supple tannins and fresh acidity.  Match with poultry and pork dishes over the next 4-5 years  70% Abel clone and 30% clone 5, the fruit fermented with 26% whole bunches to 13.81% alc., the wine aged 10 months in 22% new French oak.  230 dozen made."