In early March 2025, just a few weeks before the hustle of harvest, Felton Road winemaker Blair Walter sent us a newsletter (dated 3rd March).March is autumn harvest season for Felton Road. As harvest approaches, the vineyards and winery suddenly become hectic and the tension and energy increases. Blair says the 2025 growing season saw the most severe frosts since 2003, with a frost on 3rd November 2024 resulting in 5-20% losses, especially in the Chardonnay and Calvert blocks. However, the weather has been good for the remainder of the growing season. They were waiting for the harvest, which begins on March 26th, while keeping an eye on the weather.〈Yoshiko Nakamura, General Manager〉From the NewsletterThe newsletter once again clearly conveyed Felton Road’s continuing commitment to “vineyards and viticulture” and “environmental conservation.”◆ VineyardsThe 34ha of vines across Felton Road’s four Bannockburn vineyards — The Elms, MacMuir, Calvert, and Cornish Point — remain central to the estate’s identity. It has now been 23 years since the implementation of organic and biodynamic farming practices in 2002.Blair explains that the vineyards are now expressing their individuality with even greater precision, and that the estate’s intensive attention to viticulture and carefully farmed estate-grown fruit underpin Felton Road’s hallmark clarity, honesty, and elegance.As highlighted during Blair Walter’s seminar visit to Japan in June 2024, the estate completed approximately 4ha of replanting work in Spring 2024 after seven years of redevelopment. This included introducing more diverse and interesting rootstocks, updating clones (including their own developing massal selections), and changing varietals where soils were better suited.Felton Road is now closely monitoring the performance of these drought-tolerant rootstocks. During summer, extensive vineyard monitoring and data collection are conducted, while advanced technologies such as subterranean irrigation systems and large drones for spraying are increasingly being adopted in the vineyards.◆ Commitment to the EnvironmentFelton Road has held Demeter and BioGro certifications for biodynamic and organic viticulture since 2010.In 2022, the estate joined IWCA (International Wineries for Climate Action), requiring ISO-certified carbon inventory reporting and long-term emissions reduction planning toward net-zero emissions by 2050.In January 2024, Felton Road achieved B Corp Certification. Later that year, in October, the estate received the Sustainability Award at the Golden Vines Awards.At the awards dinner, owner Nigel Greening humorously introduced several of Felton Road’s sustainability initiatives, including efforts to reduce wine bottle weight.At the time the newsletter was received in early March, the estate had already completed tasting and evaluation of the 2024 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines, with block blends finalized. The wines were then racked into neutral barrels for an additional 3–6 months of aging before bottling and release later in the year.Each May, Felton Road sends Village Cellars its release allocations for the previous vintage Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. After importation, Village Cellars ages the wines in its own cellars for at least six months before release in June of the following year.Making preparations for biodynamic viticultureWeeding in the vineyardVintage Information — 2023 & 20242023 VintageThe flowering period was warm and stable, with all three varietals producing average yields. Although December through February was dry and hot, moderate rainfall in late February and March allowed ripening to progress smoothly without disease pressure.Felton Road describes the 2023 wines as showing unprecedented detail and tannin quality, reflecting ongoing viticultural improvements, vine maturity, and subtle refinements in winemaking. The vineyard character is becoming increasingly precise and expressive.2024 VintageGrowing conditions were remarkably similar to 2023. The wines appear slightly deeper-fruited while retaining the same silky tannin structure and clearly defined vineyard expression.Vintage Information — 2018As often happens in Central Otago, the season changed dramatically between the first and second halves of the growing year.Following an unusually hot and dry period from October through January, temperatures dropped sharply in February, making it the coolest February in 14 years and the wettest on record.This cooler, wetter weather significantly delayed ripening and alleviated concerns about excessive ripeness and wine style caused by the earlier heat. Harvest began earlier than usual on February 28th and proceeded steadily over the following three weeks.Notes*Blair joked in the newsletter that when he first searched “IWCA” online, the top result was the International Window Cleaning Association rather than International Wineries for Climate Action.** B Corp certification is administered by the US non-profit B Lab and evaluates a company’s entire social and environmental impact rather than focusing solely on profit.*** The Golden Vines Awards are internationally recognised as one of the wine industry’s most prestigious awards, often referred to as the “Oscars of the Wine World.” The awards are organised by Liquid Icons in honour of the late Gérard Basset MW MS.**** The full speech can be viewed via https://www.village-cellars.co.jp/pdf/news/FeltonRoad_VCWine_Catalogue2025Summer.pdfNigel giving speech at the 2024 Golden Vines Awards