Felton Road Pinot Noir

I have been drinking Felton Road for a number of years. The wines I had over the last couple of days are quite rare, therefore there is not much point reviewing them in detail, but a couple of general points may be of interest.

The first wine I had was the 2004 Felton Road Block 5 Pinot Noir. The Block 5 is generally regarded as the pinnacle of the Felton Road stable. It is the darkest, most concentrated of their Pinots. But is this what Pinot is about? This wine has lost a lot of its fruit, but there is some residual sweetness amongst the now dominating secondary characteristics. You can taste the silky tannins, but the finish is not very long - an overcooked Pinot Noir, in my opinion (92 points).

In contrast, the 2004 Felton Road Block 3 Pinot Noir still has a vibrant colour. The wine is not heavy, but rather ethereal. It tastes of fresh strawberries, with some forest floor underneath, and the wine has a long aftertaste, supported by understated acidity. This is a classic Pinot profile (94 points).

As I have found on other occasions, my preferred Felton Road Pinot Noir is Block 3.