Review: Felton Rd Block 6 2006 Chardonnay
- vinterest
- Apr 17, 2015
- 1 min read
The low-down: Felton Road is a Central Otago stalwart, and we're very excited to open our first wine by them. The vineyard was bought by Nigel Greening, a self-described Pinot Noir "addict" from England, in 2000 - we're addicts too! Since 2002 the vineyards have been managed organically and bio-dynamically. Their vineyards are one of the most southerly in the world.
We've opened up a few "old-world" (is that still relevant?) chardonnays lately (Bernard Chassagne-Montrachet 2006, a Domaine du Chateau de Meursault 2007, an Antinori 2010 Cervaro della Sala) and a Gerard Bertrand Cigalus 2011.
Following a delicious Marchand & Burch 2007 chardonnay we opened last month, we're keeping it Antipodean.
This little beauty is a 100% chardonnay. They don't actually make the Block 6 anymore, it has been replaced by their higher rated, big brother Block 2 chardonnay.
We picked this up from Le Clos recently for about NZ$40, which is good value for a nine year old chardy.
The take: A very light and transparent lemon appearance. The nose is initially oak, cheese and peach, with time evolving to cream and butter. A very smooth attack with an oak bite. A creamy palate with sugary lime and lychee. After a while it remains strong and oak-forward.
In closing: Oak-forward NZ chardy - played with a straight bat.
Rating: 7 out of 10.
Fact corner:
Country: New Zealand
Region: Central Otago
Producer: Felton Road
Vintage: 2006
Grape: Chardonnay
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Serving temperature: n/a
Price range: Mid-range
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