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...

97+ Points - Stuart McCloskey

What a welcome back after a three-vintage absence (for me, not the wine!). Waves of plums, mulberries, black cherries and hints of blood orange wash effortlessly across your palate. There is an intense core of rich dark fruits perfectly framed by fine tannins which is impossible not to admire. Certainly, an intriguing Pinot Noir which straddles styles and certainly would not be out of place with some of Sonoma’s ‘top’ Pinot Noirs. Utterly joyful and quite honestly soars above many of its New Zealand peers. Served in a Zalto Burgundy glass but I do feel a little unkind with my score – Perhaps another point (98+) if I had the patience to decant which I would highly recommend.

97 Points - Bob Campbell MW

Rich, concentrated pinot noir with ripe plum, black cherry, liquorice, spice, anise and nutty oak flavours. A powerful wine that's a pleasure to taste now but has the potential to develop well in bottle.

  International Wine Challenge: Silver 2016

18.5+ Points - Raymond Chan 

Dark, deep, ruby-red colour with youthful purple hues, lighter on rim. This has a tightly bound, firmly concentrated nose, quite slender in presentation, showing black berried fruits with subtle, savoury earthy and undergrowth complexities in the background. Dark herb and delicate violet floral elements add to the detail and interest. Medium-full bodied, the palate possesses a tightly concentrated core that blossoms with mouthfilling flavours of bright, vibrantly rich and succulent dark red and black berried fruits...

The first release of Pinot Noir exclusively from their Hunting Hill vineyard, the 2013 has beautiful aromas of ripe cherries and spice and displays a lovely purity. The palate is lively and fresh with firm tannins which are expected to mellow with bottle age.

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...

92 Points - Bob Campbell

A package that is easy to confuse with regular label which has an identical body label but not the “OTQ Series” neck label. OTQ stands for “on the quiet” indicating wine made from small parcels of fruit that showed extra promise. It certainly has greater depth of flavour and complexity than the regular label with a richer, plumier texture and more oak evident.

96 Points – Bob Campbell

Intense and powerful wine with focused varietal flavours including Black Doris plum, anise/Oriental spices, dark chocolate, liquorice and floral/violets. Beautifully textured Pinot Noir with a very lengthy finish. Terrific Pinot Noir from one of the country’s leading producers.