Pegasus Bay Riesling 2021

Pegasus Bay is a family affair; the Donaldsons have been making delicious wine in Waipara since 1970. 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. Try with duck liver pâté.

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. 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.

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. Due to this summer being one of the hottest on record however, the grapes achieved physiological ripeness a little earlier than usual and were picked in late March. 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.