97 Points Halliday: Stony Composure and Savoury Grace from Felton Road’s Block 3

The 2025 Felton Road Block 3 Pinot Noir is a wine of nuance rather than volume. From the heart of The Elms vineyard, it layers pure cherry and raspberry fruit with pressed flowers, wild thyme and ground-stone detail. Awarded 97 points by Dave Brookes, Halliday, its beauty lies in the seamless meeting of succulent fruit, fine silty tannins and a vivid mineral line. A bottle to follow slowly, not rush.

My Wine Man on Felton Road

Felton Road’s story began with meticulous site selection and vineyard design in 1991. Its philosophy is straightforward: grow estate fruit with care, then preserve the character of the vineyard rather than impose a cellar signature. Certified organic and biodynamic farming, gravity-flow handling, indigenous yeasts and bottling without fining or filtration all serve that purpose.

Block 3 sits on a gentle north-facing slope in the heart of The Elms vineyard in Bannockburn, Central Otago. Its deep bench of silt soil is threaded with calcareous seams, and the vines are mostly 33 years old. Careful hand work through the season and cover crops between the rows support a site whose appeal lies in complexity and completeness, not simply concentration.

The 2025 components were harvested from 3–13 April after a slow conclusion to ripening. Fermentation retained 25% whole clusters, followed by a moderately long maceration and 13 months in French oak, 28% new. For us, the defining quality is how that underlying structure supports the wine’s fine detail without overwhelming it.

Tasting Notes

Pure dark and red cherry, raspberry coulis, dark plum and a flash of cranberry lead an intricate aromatic profile. Pressed flowers and rose petal mingle with spice, earth, cinnamon, cured meat, dried citrus rind, amaro and wild thyme. The palate has a composed, stony clarity: succulent fruit and savoury detail mesh seamlessly with fine, silty tannins and a vivid mineral line. The impression is graceful and quietly persistent, inviting attention rather than demanding it through sheer force.

Dave Brookes, Halliday, 97 Points: “These 2025 Felton Road releases have a succulence and detail that you’ll really love. This wine, from the renowned Block 3 in the heart of The Elms vineyard, shows pure dark and red cherry raspberry coulis, dark plum and a flash of cranberry over hints of Medina spice, pressed flowers, earth, rose petal, cinnamon, cured meats, dried citrus rind, amaro, wild thyme and ground stone. There’s a wonderful stony composure and clarity to this year’s release, a sense of grace and savoury intent. All the flavours mesh seamlessly with its fine, silty tannins and vivid mineral line. It’s not a wine of percussive flavours but one of nuance and subtlety, inviting the drinker to pay attention. And that’s a beautiful thing.”

Style & Drinking Window

A dry, finely structured Pinot Noir with succulent red and dark fruit, floral lift and layered savoury complexity. Silty tannins and mineral definition give it shape without making weight the main attraction. Our suggested drinking window is 2028–2040 with careful cellaring. If opening earlier, try a gentle 60–90-minute decant, serve slightly cool at around 14–16°C and follow its development over a leisurely meal. These are our cellaring and serving recommendations rather than a critic’s published drinking window.

Food Pairing

The cherry fruit, wild thyme and earthy complexity of the 2025 Felton Road Block 3 Pinot Noir make it a refined match for Australian Murray Valley Free Range Pork Rack Steak from My Meat Man. The wine’s red and dark cherry flavours complement the pork’s delicate sweetness and rich marbling, while its wild-thyme and savoury spice notes echo herb-led seasoning. Fine, silty tannins sit comfortably alongside the succulent meat without obscuring its texture, whether roasted with thyme and garlic, pan-seared with a restrained cherry jus, or grilled gently with mushrooms. Avoid heavily sweetened sauces so the wine’s floral and mineral detail can remain in focus.

Why This Is a Smart Buy

At HK$999, Block 3 is a considered purchase for drinkers who value vineyard identity, subtlety and a wine that reveals itself over time. Dave Brookes’ 97-point Halliday review recognises a release distinguished by stony composure, clarity and seamlessly integrated structure. The attraction is not power for its own sake, but the combination of mature-vine detail, succulent fruit and savoury grace: a bottle for a special dinner with time to explore it, or for careful cellaring.

Looking for a Different Style?

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2022 Amisfield Central Otago Pinot Noir, a cherry-fruited Central Otago expression with a savoury, earthy edge.

2019 Ata Rangi Martinborough Pinot Noir, a composed Martinborough style with red cherry, wild strawberry, subtle spice and silky tannins.