Chardonnay Block 6
2022
Felton Road is an astonishing overnight success story. In just over 20 years Felton Road has become the global benchmark for New World pinot noir and has played a massive role in making Central Otago a new buzzword in the world of wine. Felton Road winemaker Blair Walter is an exceptional character, blessed equally with intellectual brilliance and extreme modesty. He is a captivating and insightful speaker, with the special ability to articulate complex ideas in such a way that they are made to...
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Flinty aromas with sliced cooked apples, lemon curd, lees, and lemongrass. Full-bodied and very tight with a lively and zingy acidity at the end. Ginger, too. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.
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Mandarin orange, yellow cherries and green banana followed by butterscotch and dried tea leaves with an underlying saline minerality. Medium-bodied, bright acidity. Persistent depth and balance. Elegant finish. A firmness and focus in texture. About 60% old vines on their own rootstock. Mendoza (Wente). From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification
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Complex aromas of Meyer lemons, lime curd, orange blossoms, phosphorus and yellow apples on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with finely integrated acidity and a creamy texture, carrying notes of stone fruit supported by hints of puff pastry and mandarin pith. Generous with an underlying tension. Excellent.
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Aromatically, the Block 6 comes across as a little more concentrated than its Block 3 stablemate, with more expressive citrus, peach and yellow plum fruit tones. Soft spice, yellow flowers and curls of clotted cream, ginger, sourdough and river-stone. Ditto on the palate. There is a nice swell of fleshy stone-fruits, some apple danish and softly spiced oak nuance with just a wee tweak of phenolic texture on the focused, savoury finish.
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Richer, weightier chardonnay than its sibling, Block 2, with slightly more assertive acidity driving an even longer finish. Bone dry wine with suggestions of lime citrus, wet slate, green apple and nectarine. A youthful wine that will respond positively to bottle age.
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The mouth-filling 2023 Chardonnay Block 6 offers a touch of ripe apple fruit while never becoming big, thanks to that cool-climate line of acidity. It exudes subtly fragrant, delicate floral tones alongside the almond and pastry character from extended time on lees. This was delicately handled with a very subtle oak influence, allowing the savory fruit and precision on the finish to shine. It can be approached now, whereas Block 2 needs more time. This was done with 6% new oak and aged for 17 months in barrel.
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A subtle zestiness is rather breezy on the nose, coming with a subtle edge of dried corn husk. A delicious flicker of smoke opens the palate. A textural element of pith and mouth-watering freshness make this very appetising, more air and temperature reveals notes of tangerine, beguiling with this riper, even more aromatic spectrum of citrus. Absolutely unclouded by new oak.
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Felton Road's Block 6 is north-facing, so it receives more sun compared with the east-facing Block 2 Chardonnay. As a result, it's a little more generous in its ripeness and mouthfeel yet remains precise and focused. This midweight style has a streak of assertive acidity, commonly found in Chardonnays made from the Mendoza clone. However, 18 months in old oak has rounded its edges and imbued an almost savory, nutty edge to the lengthy finish. Can be enjoyed now but won't be going anywhere in a hurry.
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Tasted alongside the Block 2, this 2023 Block 6 Chardonnay feels far more cohesive and resolved. Still tropical, and with viscose-like weight in the mouth, the wine evokes words like "exotic," "opulent" and "sophisticated." The wine is nutty and salty and full of flavor, the acidity tucked into the layers of fruit in the mouth. Very good.
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