Pegasus Bay Estate Waipara Valley Chardonnay 2019

Pegasus Bay Estate Waipara Valley Chardonnay 2019French oak Apple & flint Dense & textured Balanced acidity "Bright, pale straw yellow with depth, even colour throughout. The nose is full and distinctive, aromas of struck match, roasted hazelnut, brown butter leading, underlined stonefruit and apple. Full bodied, creamy palate carries peaches, nectarines and grapefruit with a taut core, unfolding roasted chestnut, smoky barrel, brown butter and flint. The fruit formed a bright core, supported by

• French oak
• Apple & flint
• Dense & textured
• Balanced acidity

"Bright, pale straw-yellow with depth, even colour throughout. The nose is full and distinctive, aromas of struck-match, roasted hazelnut, brown butter leading, underlined stonefruit and apple. Full-bodied, creamy palate carries peaches, nectarines and grapefruit with a taut core, unfolding roasted chestnut, smoky barrel, brown butter and flint. The fruit formed a bright core, supported by concentration and excellent acidity. Smoky barrel details added deep layers and complexity. This rich, multi-layered Chardonnay shows power and abundance of vivid fruit across a lengthy, sustained finish. Match with roasted turkey with chestnut stuffing and nut loaf over the next 8+ years. Handpicked, foot-stomped, the nonclarified juice fermented in large French oak barrels, 70% old barrels, wild fermented to 13% alc, aged in puncheons on lees for 12 months, underwent MLF"Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews, Mar 2022

"Lots of flint and stone aromas with lemons and green apples. Medium-bodied with a tight and linear palate and a long, flavourful finish. Very intense"   James Suckling, Oct 2021

"The idiosyncratic, fragrant 2019 Chardonnay is all lime and jasmine with a generous splash of ginger, flint and oak derived nuttiness. A midweight and focused expression with plenty of concentration and acid-driven tang. It ticks the texture, intensity and length boxes, but it's a stylized interpretation that's not quite what I expect when I buy a bottle of Chardonnay. But then, this is Pegasus Bay" Rebecca Gibb, Master of Wine, Vinous, Jan 2022 

On release it has an appealing lemon hue. The bouquet is sumptuous and compelling, both fruit driven and intriguingly savoury. Aromas of ripe peach, nectarine and green apple are interlaced with toasty notes of roast chestnut, smoky bacon, flint, sandalwood, and a whisp of struck match. The palate is a deluxe showcase of multi-layered richness and precision. Dense and textured, yet fresh and vivid. A gloriously expansive mouthfeel is perfectly balanced by a whip of rousing acidity that shimmies across the midpalate, setting up for an explosive and gratifying finish.

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. 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.

Unsettled weather over flowering resulted in a lighter than average set, meaning that no further fruit thinning was necessary. A classic North Canterbury summer then enabled this smaller crop to mature beautifully. Accelerated ripening allowed harvest to take place slightly earlier than usual, and favourable autumn weather ensured the grapes were picked in perfect condition.

We use traditional Burgundian winemaking methods. The fruit was hand-picked in stages during late March and early April, and then gently trodden underfoot to increase complexity and phenolic structure. The free-run, 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 prior to bottling.