Felton Road Block 5 Pinot Noir 2024
Felton Road Block 5 Pinot Noir 2024
- 2024
- 750ml
- Red
- 14%
- Pinot Noir
- Pinot Noir
- Felton Road
- Central Otago
- New Zealand
- Vintage: 2024
- Size: 750ml
- Type: Red
- Alcohol: 14%
- Varietal: Pinot Noir
- Grapes: Pinot Noir
- Winery: Felton Road
- Region: Central Otago
- Country: New Zealand
- Vintage: 2024
- Size: 750ml
- Type: Red
- Alcohol: 14%
- Varietal: Pinot Noir
- Grapes: Pinot Noir
- Winery: Felton Road
- Region: Central Otago
- Country: New Zealand
Felton Road’s Block 5 Pinot Noir is a generous and versatile wine, crafted exclusively from estate-owned vineyards. It starts with a deep, layered nose, showcasing hints of leather, rose petals, cherry and a mélange of spice. The Pinot Noir fruits were harvested from The Elms Vineyard, in the Bannockburn subregion of Central Otago, New Zealand, where Felton Road has made its home.
Those at Felton Road employ a minimal-intervention approach to wine-making, valuing organic and biodynamic methods above all else. This comes across in the pure, unrestrained character of their wines - it is clear that at Felton Road, nature is always allowed to take its course.
On the palate, a rich mouthful of red berries awaits you, along with modest, tongue-coating tannins and a dose of bright acidity. Each sip brings hints of winter spices and comforting fruitcake. It is ripe, for a Pinot Noir, but maintains excellent structure with a steely acidic backbone. There is cocoa and subtle hints of flowers on the finish, which is long and satisfying. Four years of cellaring from the vintage will unlock some secondary flavours, but this wine can be kept much longer. It spent 17 months in oak barrels before release. Consider pairing this Pinot Noir with a roast dinner or a meaty stew.
Felton Road Block 5 Pinot Noir 2024









As someone who has been ordering wine online regularly (22 orders and dozens of bottles since 2022), I have long appreciated 8Wines for offering access to interesting international labels and boutique styles that aren’t always readily available locally. However, a platform's true character isn't revealed when everything goes right; it's tested when a high-value bottle arrives compromised, and that is where 8Wines falls remarkably short. Over the last few years, I’ve spent well over €3,500 with 8Wines. When you spend consistently on a platform, you expect a baseline of mutual trust, especially when purchasing premium bottles where structural integrity is everything. Unfortunately, encountering damaged or flawed bottles on two separate occasions has brought to light a rigid, customer-unfriendly claims policy. A bottle of Susana Balbo Signature Malbec arrived completely cooked and oxidized. Despite detailing the structural defects, the customer service team deflected responsibility, demanded unreasonable layers of proof, and ultimately offered reward points rather than issuing a proper refund or replacement. One year later, another bottle, this time a high-end wine - the Caymus California Cabernet Sauvignon arrived leaking in the box with visible stain traces under the capsule. Upon opening, the cork failure was undeniable, and the wine showed the distinct, flat overcooked notes of premature oxidation rather than its intended opulent fruit profile. Instead of acknowledging that cork failure and transport leakage, the 8Wines’ support team engaged in gaslighting. They attempted to lecture about the "jammy profile of the Wagner family." They argued that a leaking, stained bottle with a dry cork and premature oxidation was normal. Rather than standing behind the quality of their high-end stock, 8Wines offered a standard deflection playbook: no blame accepted, no refund given, and a small allocation of reward points thrown in as an appeasement. For a loyal customer who has spent thousands on the platform, being compensated with virtual points for a cooked, expensive wine is a disappointing resolution. Final Verdict 8Wines has an attractive catalogue and smooth shipping logistics when bottles survive the trip intact. But if you gamble on buying expensive, premium bottles here, be aware that you carry all the financial risk. If a cork fails or a bottle cooks in transit, don't expect a refund, expect a corporate email trying to convince you that flawed wine is just part of the "winemaker's style," followed by a handful of reward points to close the ticket, that if you insist upon, otherwise you will be left empty handed. Moving forward, I will reserve my purchases for everyday, lower-risk bottles, and buy any high-end, premium investments strictly from physical storefronts where visual inspection and immediate returns are actually honored.