Pegasus Bay Whole Bunch Fermented Waipara Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Description

Dry, Grapefruit, Mango

"Wonderfully fruited with savoury nuances, the wine shows grapefruit, mango, lemon sorbet, and dried herb aromas, followed by a wonderfully weighted palate offering excellent focus and drive. Richly textured and mouthfilling, it's splendidly structured by bright acidity" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Aug 2024

"An exciting and vibrant bouquet of fresh citrus fruits, a fine savoury quality then layers of peach and pith, an apple crisp quality and layer of stones and gravels. A taut firm palate with a high acid line, the fine savoury idea returns as a definitive texture, flavours mirror the bouquet and there’s a gently warming alcohol. A wine that’s all about bouquet, flavour and mouthfeel simultaneously delivering at volume and intensity. This wine will age well" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Aug 2024

"This Sauvignon Blanc has a youthful straw yellow colour with a shining hue. On the upbeat aroma you are greeted with quince, pineapple skin, lemon curd notes and citrus zest. On the sensory engaging palate, you have those vibrant citrus characters, highlighted by a fine minerality weaving through a deft lemon pastry nuance. This expression has defined breadth across the palate, while kept fresh and focused from good varietal acidity leading you to a memorable dismount on the animated finish" Gavin Hubble, Grape-to-glass, Aug 2024

Pale straw in colour, the nose serves up a tempting amalgam of exotic, mineral and zesty notes. Impressions of melon, guava and passionfruit interplay with touches of green apple, honeysuckle, freshly podded peas, lemongrass, and a hint of wet river gravel. The palate is generous but focused, richly textured with invigorating acidity, giving length and a racy freshness. Heightened phenolics from extended skin contact imbue the wine with added complexity, enthralling the taste buds on the long and structured close.

The Donaldson Family have been seriously involved in viticulture and winemaking for over 40 years. Founder Ivan Donaldson planted one of Canterbury’s first vineyards 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 involved.

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 maximumprotection from the Pacific’s easterly breezes and thus creating a unique mesoclimate. The vines are over 35 years old, with a large proportion planted on their own roots. They are located on the “Glasnevin Gravels” where greywacke stones, silt and loam have been washed down from the mountains over the millennia. The soil is 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 Spring resulted in successful flowering and a healthy fruit set, meaning crop thinning was needed in some areas. Good heat concentration in early to mid-Summer then allowed the grapes to ripen beautifully. The remainder of Summer and Autumn threw up a mix of hot days interspersed with cooler spells, although rain was sufficiently spread out to ensure the bunches remained healthy and disease free.

The grapes were picked in separate batches during the first half of April, the aim being to produce a spectrum of ripe yet zesty aromas and flavours in the finished wine. After gentle pressing of the berries, the free run juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks at a cool temperature, to help the wine express its varietal purity. A selection of the fruit was fermented using whole bunch, and then matured on skins for 200 days, to give added complexity. A small portion of barrel aged Semillon has also been included in the finished wine, for extra richness and texture. Both varieties were aged on their natural deposits of yeast lees (sur lie) for approximately 10 months, prior to blending.