Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Chardonnay 2018  £29.34

Pegasus Bay Chardonnay 2018

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 and two spouses involved, managing various aspects.

The vineyard is located within the Waipara Valley of North Canterbury, on free-draining, north-facing terraces carved out of New Zealand’s Southern Alps by an ice-age glacier. 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 microclimate. The vines are over 30 years old, with a large proportion planted on their 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.

Settled weather during December provided optimal conditions for flowering. A very hot summer then enabled the grapes to ripen beautifully. Free draining stony soil helped mitigate the effects of some late summer rain, and the ensuing dry autumn meant the fruit was able to be picked in excellent condition.

They use traditional Burgundian winemaking methods. The fruit was hand-picked in stages during early April and then the whole bunches gently pressed. The non-clarified juice was then put into large French oak barrels (puncheons), 70% of which were old to limit pickup of oak flavour. In these, it underwent primary fermentation by the grapes indigenous yeasts. The wine was then matured in the puncheons on its natural deposits of yeast lees (sur lie). In the summer after harvest, it started to go through spontaneous secondary (malolactic) fermentation. It was regularly tasted during this time and the fermentation was stopped when the ideal balance was obtained. It had approximately 12 months maturation before bottling.

Lemon/straw in colour, its bouquet reveals a vibrant melange of green apple, lemon, peach and hints of acacia. Struck match notes and a flinty minerality add to the wine’s savoury complexity, with touches of vanilla and baking spices providing further interest. The palate is mouth filling, however there is a spine of refreshing acidity that gives the wine satisfying tension and a prolonged finish.

94 Points The Real Review

Intense, richly-textured chardonnay with ripe peach, stone fruits, saline-mineral, struck flint, vanilla, brioche and nutty oak flavours. A generously-proportioned and complex chardonnay

Bob Campbell MW

19/20 DrinksBiz

The free-draining stony soils lie in the lee of the Teviotdale Range, which protects the region from strong easterly coastal winds, creating a favourable growing climate with hot days and cool nights. This enables the grapes to retain great acidity, which adds intense freshness to the wines, especially notable in the great whites from here. This wine was made from hand-harvested grapes whole bunch pressed into large French oak puncheons and fermented with wild yeasts then matured on yeast lees in barrel. The wine is creamy, dry, full-bodies and savoury with an incredibly refreshing taste of ripe, citrusy grapefruit and a lingering finish.”