Winemaker Notes
The characteristic aromatic florality is finely supported by mineral and spice notes on the nose. It’s seamlessly followed by a detailed palate that emphasises precision and elegance. The tannins are evident, but intricately refined and polished. The ethereal mouthfeel echos the aromatic florality with a finesse that we have come to know as unreservedly Calvert.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A very vibrant and ripe Calvert with attractively spicy oak integration, as well as abundant red and dark cherries. Super fragrant. The palate is so silky and plush, packed with concentrated, fresh red-cherry flavor. Blueberry finish. Drink or hold.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Felton Road Calvert Pinot Noir is impressive from start to finish. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of black fruit, earth, and licorice. Pair it with garlic and rosemary-infused roast leg of lamb. (Tasted: October 2, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a spicy, polished, aromatic bottling from one of New Zealand’s most renowned brands. It wafts cedar, dried flowers, white pepper and gentle red berry notes with a stony, mineral underbelly. The mouthfeel is silky, with juicy fruit and heaps of spice. Tannins are more prominent than others in the FR stable, but are well structured, suggesting a happy life in the cellar for this still-youthful Pinot until 2031, at least.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Home to the globe’s most southerly vineyards, which are cultivated below the 45th parallel, Central Otago is a true one-of-a-kind wine growing region, but not only because of its extreme location.
Central Otago is more dependent on one single variety than any other region in New Zealand—and it isn’t Sauvignon blanc. They don’t even make Sauvignon blanc there.
Pinot Noir claims nearly 75% of the region’s vineyards with Pinot Gris coming in a far second place and Riesling behind it. This is also New Zealand’s only wine region with a continental climate, giving it more diurnal and seasonal temperature shifts than any other.
The subregion of Bannockburn has enjoyed the most success historically but the area’s exceptional growth has moved to the promising regions of Cromwell/Bendigo and Alexandra districts. Central Otago is known for its fruity and full-bodied Pinot noir. With the freedom to experiment here, growers and winemakers are easily exhibiting the area’s great potential.