Pegasus Bay Estate Waipara Valley Sauvignon Semillon 2017

Description

• Dry style
• Honey & candied fruit
• Cirtus blossom
• Crisp acidity

"Honeyed fruits and struck flint on the nose. The palate shows lots of savoury elements, broken stones, crushed rosemary and then candied lime zest. Has a weight and warmth that makes you take note. Good length and drive with a fine whip of acid to clean up the finish" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Jul 2020

"An alluring bouquet of white fleshed fruits and fresh green herbs, but then again it’s also tropical fruits and crushed limestone with a whisper of salty air - this is the juxtaposition in action. A very clever bouquet. It is also intense and familiar, seductive and charming. On the palate delicious wine with a core of fruit, vibrant texture with abundant acidity and long steely finish" Cameron Douglas, MS, Oct 2019

"Gorgeously complex and engaging, the bouquet shows grapefruit, kaffir lime, flint, toasted almond and lemon peel aromas, leading to a concentrated palate that's vibrant and richly textured at the same time. It's opulent and powerful with bright acidity, finishing impressively long and mouth-watering" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Feb 2020

The colour is pale lemon with aromas of citrus blossom, lemon, gooseberry and passionfruit. There is also a hint of struck match complexity arising from skin contact during fermentation. The Semillon component helps fill out the palate, adding fruit weight, richness and age-ability, while also acting to restrain the exuberance of the sauvignon blanc. While the lees contact has added texture and body, the wine remains focussed, with a crisp refreshing acidity that emphasises its mineral notes.

Variable conditions over flowering resulted in a moderate fruit set. The subsequent warm summer then allowed the grapes to ripen beautifully. Naturally smaller berry size and loose open bunches helped accelerate ripening, allowing us to pick the fruit a little earlier this season than usual.

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 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.

This is a unique expression of a traditional white Bordeaux blend using approximately 70% Sauvignon Blanc & 30% Semillon. Both varieties were picked in stages during April, timing each harvest to optimise the grapes’ range of natural flavours. These varieties were fermented separately, the majority of the Sauvignon in stainless steel to retain the pure fruit character, and all of the Semillon in oak puncheons to add texture. A small percentage of the Sauvignon Blanc was also matured in new French barrels to give extra length and complexity. Both varieties were aged on their natural deposits of yeast lees (sur lie) for approximately 10 mths, prior to blending. Once bottled, the wine was left to age for another year before release, allowing it to integrate further.