Pouilly-Fuisse is an appellation in the Maconnais region in Burgundy. It is known for producing refreshing and crisp Chardonnay. 

Tasting note by Veronique Boss-Drouhin

'A seductive wine and a really nice expression of the Chardonnay grape! The colour is golden, with some green reflections. Among the floral and fruity aromas, almond and ripe grapes dominate. On the palate, the wine is refreshingly pleasant, ethereal in its lightness. Long and refreshing aftertaste.'

This is a bright, bone dry Pinot Gris with an underlying salinity. The nose is zesty and layered with lemon and grapefruit notes. These flavours continue on the palate, and are met with a mineral touch and bright acidity. 

Tasting Note 

Red cherry, plum and a hint of dried herbs open the nose in a delightfully fragrant manner. The aromatics deftly define the knife edge ripeness that’s critical for great Pinot Noir; dialled in with ease in the exceptional 2024 vintage. Cardamom, mace and cranberry make an appearance, followed by a finely poised mouthfeel. The silky tannins are luscious and sweet, providing backbone and length. A typically expressive Cornish Point.

Introduction

Commencing with meticulous site selection and vineyard design in 1991, Felton Road's story is one of refusal to compromise. A strict 100% estate policy with fully organic and biodynamic viticulture (BioGro and Demeter certified) ensures that our fruit arrives at the winery as pure as it can be, while our entire estate comes as close to true sustainability as is possible. The winery is also B Corp certified and a proud member of IWCA (International Wineries for Climate Action). A commitment to hands off winemaking: gravity flow, wild yeasts, wild malo, an avoidance of fining and filtration all help preserve the wine's expression of its terroir. The result is Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir which accurately express the authenticity and complexity of our unique vineyards.  Gareth King; Viticulturist, Blair Walter; Winemaker, Nigel Greening; Vigneron. 

Vineyard & Viticulture 

Felton Road farms four properties totalling 34 ha in the Bannockburn subregion of Central Otago. This wine is from Cornish Point vineyard where the close proximity to Lake Dunstan (surrounded on three sides) creates a unique mesoclimate. Fine loess and silt soils overlie alluvial gravels interspersed with calcareous seams. Meticulous summer management of a single vertical shoot positioned (VSP) canopy ensures even and early fruit maturity. Shoot thinning, shoot positioning, leaf plucking, bunch thinning and harvest are all carried out by hand to ensure optimum quality fruit. Cover crops are planted between rows to assist in vine balance and to improve soil health and general biodiversity. 

Vintage 

After a wet September, spring commenced with good soil moisture and bud burst occurred at the normal time of early October. Temperatures hovered around average with December being warm and dry, enabling a successful flowering and fruit set. The dry conditions prevailed throughout January and February limiting berry size and setting the scene for fruit with elevated phenolic material and complexity. Judicious use of irrigation was required to maintain sufficient vine health throughout this sustained dry period. Temperatures never spiked and hovered around average enabling a slow and steady path to maturity. A distinctive feature of March 2024 was the cool night temperatures preserving acidity, freshness and precision of fruit character. Pinot Noir was harvested from 19 March to 9 April. 

Vinification  The unique gravity flow winery enabled the grapes to be gently destemmed directly into open-top fermenters without pumping, with 25% retained as whole clusters. Traditional fermentation with a moderately long maceration on skins has extracted good colour and tannin with considerable depth of flavour. This wine was aged for 13 months in 20% new French oak barrels from artisan Burgundian coopers. In accordance with our noninterventionalist approach to winemaking, this wine was fermented with indigenous yeast and malolactic, and was not fined or filtered.

Winemaking at Felton Road is led by one of Central Otago's most experienced winemakers, Blair Walter, who has been at Felton Road since the mid 1990s. His meticulous attention to detail and unwavering focus on the great classic Chardonnays of the world are as key to this wine's outstanding quality as the focus on great quality in the vineyard and winery. 

Maison Trimbach’s Pinot Blanc 2023 is a pure expression of Alsace elegance – crisp, floral, and effortlessly versatile. Whether it’s oysters by the sea, a summer picnic, or a casual aperitif, this is a white wine that adapts to every occasion. Fresh, delicate, and beautifully balanced – a must-have for lovers of refined French whites.

This is a great wine from the home of Pinot Gris. The aroma is lively, floral and complex with notes of elderflower, citrus and green apple. The palate is rich, balanced and spicy, with crisp, pure fruit flavours.

Goisot Côtes d’Auxerre Rouge 2023 shows a vibrant, cool-climate Pinot Noir profile with bright red cherry, wild strawberry and subtle cranberry fruit. Fine floral notes of violet and rose sit over a distinctly limestone-driven mineral backbone. The palate is fresh and elegant with fine tannins, lively acidity and a gently savoury, earthy finish that reflects its northern Burgundy origins region.

The Wine:

Tinto Joven; 96% Tempranillo, 2% Garnacha, and 2% Viura.
Rioja Alta, vineyards of Ábalos and San Vicente de la Sonsierra.
A blend of native varieties from our vineyards located in the Rioja Sonsierra region. The varieties combine to create a clear definition of a young, fresh, and fruity wine.

WINEMAKING:

Process: Carbonic maceration (whole bunch maceration). This allows us to transmit all the fruitiness of the grapes to this wine. Fermented at a controlled temperature (26º). The fermentation process proceeds normally and quickly. Natural stabilization and bottling.

The Producer:

Abeica is winery currently under the watch of the fourth generation - with the fifth already cutting their teeth. Do not for one second though assume that this historic connection bears the weight of conforming to brand Rioja.  During the 1990's the winery was successful at home and abroad. Growing year -on-year, buying in grapes from neighbouring properties to fuel their growth.  The four siblings, Isabel, Ricardo, Pachi and Raul decided to pull back from this and return to a true family project using only their own vines and their combined skills.  Vineyards are mainly clay-calcareous between 450-590 metres and enjoy the protection of the Sonsierra mountain range. Vintage employs the entire extended family to hand pick and bring in the harvest to the gravity-fed winery. Fermentation is generally whole bunch under carbonic maceration. There is a refreshing hands - off approach, letting nature do the work which leads to freshness across the range. It truly feels like Rioja with the light let in.

Origins

Coleraine derives its name from the Coleraine vineyard, home of John and Wendy Buck of Te Mata Estate. John’s late grandfather was born in Coleraine in Northern Ireland and the name has been maintained through the family home to the wine. A single vineyard wine until 1989, Coleraine is an assemblage of the finest wines produced from distinct plots within Te Mata Estate’s oldest vineyards first planted in 1892.

Winemaking

Each parcel of grapes was destemmed before a traditional
warm-plunged fermentation and extended maceration on skins. The resulting wines were then run to predominately new French oak barrels for 19 months’ maturation,
with 70% being new oak. Throughout this time, they were regularly topped and racked. The assemblage was made in November 2024 and the finished wine was bottled in December 2025. The final blend is 58% cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot and 11% cabernet franc.

Tasting note

A deep, brilliant crimson with a vibrant purple core, Coleraine ’24 opens with an alluring bouquet of fresh roses, cassis, dark cherries and blackberries. Layers of
dark chocolate, nori, black olive and subtle cedar add complexity, while lifted florals and a savoury coastal nuance enhance its depth, precision
and beauty. On the palate, a concentrated wave of red and dark fruit flows over velvety, cocoa-powder textures, as expansive, silky tannins weave seamlessly through the wine. This enormity of scale is highlighted by a fine, focused acid line that drives through to a finish of exceptional length. With immense power held in delicate restraint, Coleraine ‘24 is destined to unfurl over decades.

Ageing potential 

Coleraine is known for its longevity. While approachable in
its youth, it typically reaches its peak after 10–20 years, developing more complex tertiary notes like leather, truffle, and cigar box.

Established in 1864 by Jean Désiré Féraud, Monte Christo is the birthplace of Central Otago wine. Our wines are made with 100% estate-grown fruit sourced from our vineyards across three distinct sub-regions, the Alexandra Basin, Bannockburn and Pisa. Utilising sustainable farming practices and minimal intervention methods in the winery, the outcome is elegant, refined, and impeccably balanced wines epitomising the terroir of Central Otago.

Tasting note With dark plums and spice, this  Pinot Noir has bright acidity and a soft finish.

VINEYARDS 

Vineyard: Catherine’s (39%) Subregion: Pisa Elevation: 240m Clone(s):  115, 5, Abel Soil: Waenga alluvial sand and silt gravels, loam texture and moderately stoney, derived from schist 

Vineyard: Davishon (31%) Subregion:  Alexandra Basin Elevation: 160m Clone(s):  5, 115 Soil: Blackmans alluvial sand and silt gravels derived from schist and sandstone.

Vineyard: Confluence (21%) Subregion: Bannockburn Elevation: 210m Clone(s): 777, 115 Soil: Manuherikia loess deposited silt material overlaying sand and silt alluvial deposits derived from schist

Vineyard: Paris (9%) Subregion: Bannockburn Elevation: 220m Clone(s): 10/5, 115 Soil: Cromwell loess deposited sands derived from schist

WINEMAKING Brix: 23.3 (avg.) Whole Cluster: 6% Total time on skins: 25 days (avg.), including a five-day cold soak Fermentation: Wild yeasts Aging: 10 months in 33% new French oak

Felton Road winemaker Blair Walter and owner Nigel Greening (who bought the winery in 2000) are a formidable team producing elegant, powerful southern Pinots from their estate vineyards, all now organically and biodynamically certified. 

Concentrated aromas of spice, toasted cedar and savoury notes with a hint of vanilla.

Generous and rich, luxurious mouthfeel. The palate has a complex array of flavours with savoury notes, ripe peach, preserved lemon and a toasty finish. 

Drinking beautifully now, this wine will continue to evolve and reward over the next five to ten years with careful cellaring.

Alcohol 13% v/v

Residual sugar 2.36g/litre 

Acidity 5.8g/litre

pH 3.11

Established in 1864 by Jean Désiré Féraud, Monte Christo is the birthplace of Central Otago wine. Our wines are made with 100% estate-grown fruit sourced from our vineyards across three distinct sub-regions, the Alexandra Basin, Bannockburn and Pisa. Utilising sustainable farming practices and minimal intervention methods in the winery, the outcome is elegant, refined, and impeccably balanced wines epitomising the terroir of Central Otago.

Tasting note An elegant yet complex Chardonnay with fresh lemon, green pear, white peach, hawthorn flowers, river rock and subtle baking spices.

VINEYARDS Vineyard: Davishon (69%) 

Subregion: Alexandra Basin 

Elevation: 160m 

Clone(s): 6, Mystery clone 

Soil: Blackmans alluvial sand, silt and gravels derived from schist and sandstone

WINEMAKING 

Brix: 21.6 

Fermentation: Wild yeasts in 72%  neutral oak and 28% stainless steel, 100% malolactic  

Aging: 11 months in 72% neutral French oak, 28% stainless steel