Felton Road

Stewart Elms enrolled as a mature student in Lincoln University's viticulture and wine science course in 1990. In 1991 his research identified the north-facing slopes at the end of Felton Road, Bannockburn, as one of the warmest sites in Central Otago for premium wine; heat summation data and soil maps developed during construction of the Clyde Dam informed the choice. After the gold miners departed, the slopes were left to sheep until 1991, and Elms started to plant in 1992. The estate's elm tree logo comes from his name. The first wine was made in 1995 by Grant Taylor, then winemaker at Gibbston Valley, and in 1997 Blair Walter, Elms' lab partner at Lincoln, made the first official Felton Road Pinot Noir. Nigel Greening, a British creative director who had been one of the winery's biggest private customers, bought the Cornish Point apricot orchard in 1999 and planted it in 2000. Later in 2000 he bought Felton Road and its vineyards from Elms, who was retiring.

• 1991: Stewart Elms identifies the north-facing slopes at the end of Felton Road; planting begins in 1992.
• 1995: first wine, made by Grant Taylor at Gibbston Valley; 1997: first official Felton Road Pinot Noir, made by Blair Walter.
• 1999: Nigel Greening buys the Cornish Point apricot orchard, planting it to vines in 2000.
• 2000: Greening buys Felton Road and its vineyards from Stewart Elms.

Nigel Greening is vigneron, Blair Walter is winemaker, Gareth King is estate manager (viticulturist on the 2025 vintage technical sheets), Larissa Woods is cellar and technical manager and Annabel Bulk is vineyard manager. As of January 2023, Walter had made every Felton vintage since 1997. Nicola Greening, Nigel's daughter, runs UK distribution through Cornish Point Wines Ltd. The estate employs over 25 people.

• Nigel Greening: vigneron and owner.
• Blair Walter: winemaker, every vintage since 1997.
• Gareth King: estate manager; viticulturist on the technical sheets.
• Larissa Woods: cellar and technical manager; Annabel Bulk: vineyard manager.
• Nicola Greening: UK distribution (Cornish Point Wines Ltd).

Felton Road farms four properties totalling 34 ha in Bannockburn, with about 130,000 vines. The Elms Vineyard (14.7 ha) lies in a gently sloping, north-facing valley at the western end of Felton Road. Its two principal soils are the deep Waenga soils, the preferred soil for Pinot Noir, and the Lochar series of schist gravels, where Chardonnay and Riesling are planted. Blocks 1 to 9 were planted from 1992 to 1994 at 2,667 vines/ha and Blocks 10 to 13 in 2001 at 4,000 vines/ha; the vineyard holds 7.8 ha of Pinot Noir, 5.3 ha of Chardonnay and 2.1 ha of Riesling. Cornish Point (7.6 ha) is an old gold miners' settlement, later an apricot orchard, planted to vines by Felton Road in 2000; bordered by the Clutha and Kawarau rivers, now flooded to form Lake Dunstan, it is almost totally surrounded by water. It is planted in 18 clone and rootstock combinations separated into 25 Blocks at 4,040 vines per hectare. Calvert (5.9 ha) lies 1.5 km east of The Elms: Felton Road started leasing the entire 10.2 ha vineyard in 2001 and in 2013 bought the Willows, Springs and Aurum Blocks, 4.6 ha of Pinot Noir, outright; the Pipeclay Creek block was planted in 2020 to 0.2 ha of Pinot Noir and 1.1 ha of Chardonnay. MacMuir (5.1 ha), one km east of The Elms, was part of the Calvert property; Felton Road bought the land from the Calvert family in 2010 and began planting in 2012. Greening is the son of a Muir clan member, Betty Muir, hence the name MacMuir (son of a Muir). MacMuir is planted at 4,667 vines/ha on 3309 rootstock, including Felton Road's first plantings of Dijon clones 828 and 943.

• The Elms, 14.7 ha: Waenga soils for Pinot Noir, Lochar schist gravels for Chardonnay and Riesling; 7.8 ha Pinot Noir, 5.3 ha Chardonnay, 2.1 ha Riesling.
• Cornish Point, 7.6 ha: planted 2000; Manuherikia fine sandy loams; 18 clone and rootstock combinations in 25 Blocks; elevation 193-202 metres.
• Calvert, 5.9 ha: leased from 2001; Willows, Springs and Aurum Blocks (4.6 ha of Pinot Noir) bought in 2013; Bannockburn deep silt loams; elevation 215-228 metres.
• MacMuir, 5.1 ha: land bought from the Calvert family in 2010, planted from 2012; 4,667 vines/ha on 3309; elevation 216-224 metres.

The vineyards have been managed organically and biodynamically since 2002. In 2010 all four vineyards were awarded full Demeter certification, and in 2020 they were also certified by BioGro. Compost is made from winery waste with organic cow manure and straw, cover crops and wild flowers are planted in the vineyard, and work in the vines follows the biodynamic calendar. Goats keep the briar down on the hillsides, chickens forage among the vines, and Highland cattle are kept in the hills. The winery is B Corp certified and a member of International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA). Felton Road counts its carbon to ISO14064 scopes 1, 2 and 3; as of October 2026, a note from Greening on the estate's site puts the year's bill at about 250 tonnes, half what it was a few years earlier, with the aim of reaching real zero without carbon offsetting. A curved solar array overlooking Block 3 raises the estate's generating capacity to about 80kW, with 57 kWh of battery storage. The company's mission statement commits to a zero growth policy since 2000, 'as we consider growth the single largest enemy of environmental responsibility', and to a guide of investing at least 1% of revenue in wider social responsibility.

• Organic and biodynamic management since 2002; Demeter (2010) and BioGro (2020) certification across all four vineyards.
• Goats, chickens and Highland cattle on the estate; compost from winery waste, organic cow manure and straw.
• B Corp certified; member of IWCA; carbon counted to ISO14064 scopes 1, 2 and 3.
• Zero growth policy since 2000; at 100% of the production limit since 2006.

The winery works by gravity flow, avoiding the need to pump fruit uphill. Ferments are spontaneous with wild yeasts from the vineyards and winery, malolactic fermentation follows when warm spring air is let into the cellars, and inert gas is avoided. The Pinot Noirs are unfined and unfiltered, and the Chardonnays are increasingly treated the same way. For the 2025 Pinot Noirs, grapes were destemmed directly into open-top fermenters without pumping, with part retained as whole clusters: 18% for Bannockburn, 23% for Cornish Point, 25% for Block 3 and 31% for MacMuir. Each was aged for 13 months in French oak barrels from Burgundian coopers, with 24% to 28% new. The 2025 Bannockburn Chardonnay was whole bunch pressed with the juice flowing to barrel by gravity, fermented in French oak with 7% new, and spent 11 months on full lees and 13 months in barrel. The 2025 Block 2 and Block 6 Chardonnays were fermented in seasoned French oak with no new oak.

• Gravity flow, wild yeasts and wild malolactic fermentation; Pinot Noirs unfined and unfiltered.
• 2025 Pinot Noirs: 18% to 31% whole clusters; 13 months in French oak, 24% to 28% new.
• 2025 Bannockburn Chardonnay: 7% new oak, 11 months on full lees, 13 months in barrel.
• Block 2 and Block 6 Chardonnays: seasoned French oak, no new oak.

The current range covers Pinot Noir Bannockburn, Cornish Point, Calvert, MacMuir, Block 3 and Block 5; Chardonnay Bannockburn, Block 2 and Block 6; Riesling Dry, Bannockburn and Block 1; and a Vin Gris. The Bannockburn Pinot Noir is a blend from all four vineyards. Block 3 sits on a gentle north-facing slope in the heart of The Elms, where the deepest Waenga soils give Pinot Noir of power and complexity; the same bench extends into Block 5, which adds a band of clay and Lochar gravels. The Bannockburn Chardonnay comes mostly from Blocks 2, 6, 8 and 9 of The Elms, with approximately 10% from each of Cornish Point and Calvert. Block 2 Chardonnay is Mendoza clone from a block planted in 1992 on deep angular schist gravels, and Block 6, planted in 1993 at 282-300 metres, is predominantly Mendoza with some Dijon clone 95. The 2026 Dry Riesling comes from Block 2 of The Elms and was fermented to 7g/L residual sugar; the 2026 Bannockburn Riesling, from Block 4, has 53g/L residual sugar and 9.0% alcohol; and the 2026 Block 1 Riesling, from the deep silt loams immediately west of Block 3, had its fermentation stopped by chilling at 59g/L residual sweetness and 9.0% alcohol. The Vin Gris is made from free-run Pinot Noir juice. Single block wines are offered through a Block mailing list.

• Pinot Noir: Bannockburn (all four vineyards), Cornish Point, Calvert, MacMuir, Block 3, Block 5.
• Chardonnay: Bannockburn, Block 2, Block 6.
• Riesling: Dry (Block 2), Bannockburn (Block 4), Block 1.
• Vin Gris from free-run Pinot Noir juice.

A bottle of Block 3 from the first official vintage reached Robert Parker, who famously declared it good enough to be used as a ringer in a blind tasting against the very best burgundies. Wine Spectator placed the 2018 Bannockburn Pinot Noir at No. 14 in its Top 100 of 2020. In New Zealand Winegrowers' profile of the estate, Felton Road is frequently ranked high in the Drinks International magazine's World's Most Admired Wine Brands list. The wines are exported to over 40 countries.

• Exported to over 40 countries.

The estate's own winemaking statement is that 'Oak is a subtle companion, not a loud guest' and that 'the wine should be what the wine should be.' Greening has told Decanter, 'We regard 2012 as our renaissance, the year when we woke up,' and the estate switched to picking earlier from 2012 onwards. In February 2025 he told a Pinot Noir conference that Felton Road is 'uncomfortable belonging to the fine wine sphere,' asking: 'What’s wrong with deliciousness right now?'

• Earlier picking from 2012 onwards.

Felton Road receives visitors by prior appointment from Monday to Friday and is closed weekends and public holidays. Visits take 1.5 to 2 hours, with a walk through the vineyard and winery followed by a tasting of current release wines, and there is no charge to taste.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://feltonroad.com/, https://feltonroad.com/our-mission/, https://feltonroad.com/our-land-vines/, https://feltonroad.com/our-land-vines/biodynamics/, https://feltonroad.com/the-team/, https://feltonroad.com/our-wines/, https://feltonroad.com/our-wines/variety/pinot-noir/, https://feltonroad.com/our-wines/variety/chardonnay/, https://feltonroad.com/our-wines/variety/riesling/, https://feltonroad.com/our-wines/variety/other/, https://feltonroad.com/buy-wine/distribution/, https://feltonroad.com/cellar-door/, https://feltonroad.com/our-land-vines/the-elms/, https://feltonroad.com/our-land-vines/cornish-point/, https://feltonroad.com/our-land-vines/calvert/, https://feltonroad.com/our-land-vines/macmuir/, and the estate's technical sheets (PDF) for the 2025 Pinot Noir Bannockburn, Block 3, Cornish Point and MacMuir, the 2025 Chardonnay Bannockburn, Block 2 and Block 6, the 2026 Dry Riesling, Riesling Bannockburn and Riesling Block 1, and the 2026 Vin Gris, under https://feltonroad.com/wp-content/uploads/. Secondary sources: New Zealand Winegrowers (https://www.nzwine.com/en/media/our-people/felton-road-milestone/); Decanter (https://www.decanter.com/magazine/felton-road-pinot-noir-wine-249399/, last updated 18 August 2020; Anne Krebiehl MW, https://www.decanter.com/premium/felton-road-producer-profile-and-12-wines-to-try-494032/, published 5 January 2023); Wine Spectator (https://www.winespectator.com/articles/pinot-noir-fanatic-buys-new-zealands-felton-road-wines-20798 and https://www.winespectator.com/wine/wine-detail/id/1243716/name/felton-road-pinot-noir-central-otago-bannockburn-2018/guest); The Drinks Business (Sarah Neish, 25 February 2025, https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/02/leading-nz-producer-to-move-away-from-fine-wine/). Last verified 2026-10-19. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.