PEGASUS BAY
Established in 1985, Pegasus Bay Winery is an entirely family-owned and operated enterprise. Associate Professor Ivan Donaldson is a wine writer and wine judge. He oversees viticulture and wine styles. His wife Christine is business manager and a passionate opera lover and regularly organises operatic concerts on the property. Their eldest son Matthew and his wife Lynnette are the wine makers and regularly work vintage in the northern hemisphere with a focus on Burgundy and specifically Pinot Noir. Another son Edward is marketing manager, and as a trained chef, manages their winery restaurant along with his fiancée Belinda. The restaurant has been awarded New Zealand’s top casual dining restaurant by Cuisine magazine.
Pegasus Bay wines are made from 100% estate grown grapes. The vineyard site is on the property in the Waipara Valley of North Canterbury. It’s known for its micro-climate giving hot days through the growing season and cooling off significantly in the evening due to its proximity to the ocean. There is minimal handling of fruit during processing so the vineyard is able to clearly express itself through their wines. Pegasus Bay is a member of the Sustainable Viticulture Programme (SVP) and Pegasus Bay has a policy of not entering in wine shows however they have received many accolades for their wines.
"Although there are challengers to the crown, few people would dispute the fact that Pegasus Bay is the leading producer of fine wine in the Canterbury region…”
Bob Campbell MW – NZ wine annual
The spring and early summer were warm and so exceptionally dry that we felt the vines might suffer from the effects of drought. In February we had the unexpected; a torrential downpour set the dry streams gurgling merrily and totally replenished the ground water reserves. Late in autumn we had humid conditions which led to some botrytis developing in riesling. Many producers picked early to minimise the effect of this but fortunately we braved it out until the weather cleared and the patches of botrytis became beautifully shrivelled and noble.
After picking, the fruit was gently pressed and left to settle. The clear portion of the juice was then slowly fermented at a cool temperature in stainless steel to ensure it retained varietal purity and the additional exotic aromas and flavours provided by botrytis. The wine was handled very gently to allow it to retain some of the natural carbon dioxide from the fermentation to give it a touch of spritzig.
We picked only beautifully ripened bunches in which at least one third of the berries had been shrivelled to raisins by noble botrytis and when these arrived at the winery they were further hand selected so that only the most perfect were retained.
The fruit was then gently pressed and it was necessary to do this very slowly in order to extract the small amount of juice from these shrivelled berries. This was allowed to settle naturally and the clarified portion was fermented very slowly at cool temperatures to help retain its vibrant aromas and flavours. It was bottled soon after the fermentation. In doing this we were careful to handle the wine very gently in order to retain some of its natural carbon dioxide to give the wine a little spritzig.
The wine shows ripe stone fruit characters suggestive of yellow fleshed peaches and apricots intertwined with hints of lychees, loquats and fresh figs. Honeysuckle and comb honey characters come from the botrytis. Underneath there are citrus impressions of lemons, limes and mandarins, which are supported by a core of tingling acidity and minerality, drawing out the length and acting as a perfect foil to its luscious sweetness.
Careful cellaring should result in a range of additional fascinating nuances. While ready to drink on release it should continue to improve over the next 5-7 years and live 15 years or more.
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