Pegasus Bay Muscat 2018

The colour is medium straw. Its bouquet is invitingly perfumed and fragrant, full of musk, nutmeg, Turkish delight and lychee, laced with honeysuckle, lime zest and a smoky nuance. Unctuous and mouth-filling, the palate is rich and luscious. Balanced with integrated acidity and ripe phenolics, the finish is long and spicy with a hint of root ginger, perfectly complimenting the wine’s off-dry style.

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 soil is free draining and 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.

We use the traditional French variety of Muscat (Muscat Petit Grains). There are very few rows in our vineyard, so only a small volume of this wine has been made. After picking, the grapes were gently pressed, with only the free run juice being used. The wine was tank fermented to preserve varietal integrity, and slowly matured over four months, until a perfect balance was achieved.

4 months