Pegasus Bay Estate Waipara Valley Riesling 2019

Pegasus Bay Estate Waipara Valley Riesling 2019Medium dry style Mango & grapefruit Honey & warm spice Creamy texture "Immensely complex and enticing, the bouquet shows mango, orange peel, honey, potpourri and warm spice aromas, leading to a gorgeously flavoursome palate that's filled with succulent fruit flavours and spicy nuances. It's generous and opulent yet refined and structured with a persistent delicious finish" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Sep 2021 "Peaches and limes, green apples and white

• Medium-dry style
• Mango & grapefruit
• Honey & warm spice
• Creamy texture

"Immensely complex and enticing, the bouquet shows mango, orange peel, honey, potpourri and warm spice aromas, leading to a gorgeously flavoursome palate that's filled with succulent fruit flavours and spicy nuances. It's generous and opulent yet refined and structured with a persistent delicious finish" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Sep 2021

"Peaches and limes, green apples and white blossoms, honey suckle and green mandarin. Vibrant, fresh, youthful and pure. As the wine touches the palate the acidity begins to dance and tingle while the core of fruit flavours mirror the nose. No mistaking the acidity with a whisper of contrasting residual sweetness then a return to flavours of mandarin and lime flower, apple and peach. Delicious, fleshy and long" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, 2021

"Bright, pale yellow with a slight green hue, lighter on the rim. The nose has concentration and poise, nuances of mandarin, green apple, lime zest entwined with lime flowers. Medium full bodied, medium-dry to taste, a concentrated core of green apple, mandarin and zest, apricots melded with honey, lime flower enriched by pollen and a hint of ginger. The palate is vibrant and refreshing; invigorating acidity flows with light honey syrup, rounded the palate. Purity of fruit layered with charming spice and floral elements. This is a medium-dry Riesling with pure fruit, multilayered richness and precision" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, Jul 2021

"From vines more than 30 years old, this delicious wine is full of youthful impact. Rich and vibrant, it has intense, lemony, appley, flavours, gentle sweetness, mouthwatering acidity and a lasting, slightly honeyed finish" Michael Cooper, The Listener, Jul 2021

"Sliced apple and apricot aromas with some peach pit and hot stone. Full-bodied with a creamy texture and lots of ripe, sweet fruit. It sweet and rich on the finish" James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com, Oct 2021

"Mat Donaldson and this team make this medium-dry Riesling one of the country’s most opulent white wines every year. Flavours span the succulent gamut of wild honey, lemongrass, lemon zest and ripe mandarins, all leading into a full-bodied, weighty drop. It’s modelled on the best Rieslings from Germany and Austria and produced from grapes given a long hang time on the vines, which provides density in body and taste. Pegasus Bay Riesling is one of New Zealand’s greatest white wines every year. It’s a maverick, brave, adventurous white that is delicious now and ages for a decade and then some" Joelle Thomson & Drinksboz, Nov 2021

"Volume on the nose immediately apparent. Flits from a little funk to apple, grapefruit and musk, nice complexity. Richness, filling the mouth, apple, musky botrytis, spices, off dry with super acid balance. Excellent focus to this, super texturally withwinning complexity. Great length and a lovely lip-smacking close. I want to go back for more of this" Mark Henderson, Otago Daily Times, Oct 2021

On release the colour is lemon-straw. The bouquet is a zesty fusion of quince, citrus blossom, lemon meringue and green apple, cloaked in a spicy mineral underlay. In the mouth the experience is also multi-layered, displaying both richness and precision, texture and poise. Charming sweetness is backed by refreshing acidity and a hint of spritzig that creates a vibrant tension, ensuring the wine remains perfectly balanced with a fresh and lively finish.

The vineyard is located within the Waipara Valley of North Canterbury, on free draining, north facing terraces. It benefits from being in the lee of the Teviotdale Range, giving maximum protection from the Pacific’s easterly breezes and thus creating a unique mesoclimate. The vines are over 30 years old, with a large proportion planted on their own roots. They are located on the “Glasnevin Gravels” where greywacke stones, silt and loam have been washed down from the mountains over the millennia. The soil is of low fertility, resulting in naturally reduced vine vigour. This produces low yields of optimally ripened, high quality, flavourful grapes, which fully express the qualities of this unique terroir. The vineyard has warm days, but the nights are amongst the coolest in the Waipara Valley, drawing out the ripening period of the grapes, while still retaining good natural acidity.

Unsettled weather over flowering resulted in a lighter than average set, meaning that no further fruit thinning was necessary. A classic North Canterbury summer then enabled this smaller crop to mature beautifully. Accelerated ripening allowed harvest to take place slightly earlier than usual, and favourable autumn weather ensured the grapes were picked in perfect condition.

With its large diurnal range and long lingering autumns, North Canterbury is an ideal playground for riesling, making it possible to create concentrated wines that still possess favourable acidity and finesse. Our house style involves giving the grapes an extended “hang time” and picking (when possible) with a portion of noble botrytis, to enable our site to express itself harmoniously through this variety. Following harvest, the free run juice was fermented slowly at cool temperatures to help the wine express the unique characters of our region. At all stages, the wine was handled very carefully to help retain a little of its natural carbon dioxide. This has resulted in a small amount of spritzig, which adds extra liveliness to the wine.

The Donaldson Family have been seriously involved in viticulture and winemaking for over 40 years. Founder Ivan Donaldson planted the first Canterbury vineyard in 1976 and went on to establish Pegasus Bay in 1986 with his wife Christine. It is a true family business, with all four of their sons involved.