Pegasus Bay 2013 Virtuoso Chardonnay, 2014 Riesling and LH Pinot Gris

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• Pegasus Bay ‘Virtuoso’ Waipara Valley Chardonnay 2013
  Chardonnay from New Zealand - Canterbury & Waipara

  Review Date : 08-Apr-2016

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, even straw-yellow colour with pale green-gold hues. The bouquet is full and densely packed with concentrated aromas of white and yellow stonefruits, and white floral elements melded with layers of mealy, creamy and nutty oak, unfolding complexing flinty and minerally lees, smoky and toasty oak. The aromatics grow in volume and intensify and dimension in the glass. Medium-full bodied, the fruit flavours of stonefruits are rich and vibrant and complexed by waves of mealy and nutty barrel-ferment flavours, and integrated with flint and minerals, unfolding layers of smoke and toast. This has a powerfully concentrated core. The mouthfeel has richness and presence, but is balanced by lacy acid vitality, providing tension and energy. The wine has balance and harmony and follows a very fine, textural line, flowing with drive, to a very long, sustained finish of nutty and smoky oak. This is a rich, multi-dimensional, complex Chardonnay with layers of flavour and a vibrant, powerful palate. Match with roasted seafood, poultry, pork and veal dishes over the next 6+ years. A selection of three 500 L puncheons, the fruit from 30 y.o. ungrafted vines, hand-picked and indigenous yeast barrel-fermented with full solids to 13.5% alc., the wine aged 12 months in one-third new oak on lees with 50% MLF. 19.5/20 Apr 2016 RRP $50.00
• Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Riesling 2014
  Riesling from New Zealand - Canterbury & Waipara

  Review Date : 08-Apr-2016

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright straw-yellow colour with light golden hues at the heart, lighter on the rim. This has a softly concentrated and elegantly intense nose of lime and lemon fruit along with harmoniously entwined aromas of soft herbs, musky botrytis and minerally elements. Medium in sweetness and light-medium bodied, the palate features a rich core of lime, honeysuckle, herbs and musk, unfolding orange fruit and marmalade botrytis detail. Soft, refreshing acidity lends tension to the mouthfeel and the wine flows smoothly along a very fine-textured line leading to a long, soft finish of limes, honey and musk. This is a soft, rich, medium Riesling with exotic flavours of limes, honey and musk. Serve as an aperitif and with Asian cuisine over the next 4+ years. Riesling fruit with a portion botrytis-affected, cool-fermented to 12.5% alc. and 25 g/L RS, TA 6.7 g/L, the wine bottled retaining some spritz. 18.5-/20 Apr 2016 RRP $30.00
• Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Late Harvest Pinot Gris 2014
  Pinot Gris from New Zealand - Canterbury & Waipara

  Review Date : 08-Apr-2016

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Deep orange colour with light golden hues on the edge. The nose is full and broad with decadent aromas of very ripe oranges and tropical fruits melded with marmalade and crystallised fruits, and nuances of wild honey, toffee and caramel. The fruit is lifted by some volatility. Medium in sweetness, the palate is unctuous and opulent with rounded, luscious and decadent flavours of ripe oranges, exotic tropical fruits and marmalade in a densely concentrated amalgam of burnished honey, crystallised fruits and toffee. Some volatility provides aromatic lift. The richness is balanced by underlying, lacy acidity, and the wine flows smoothly and near seamlessly with good drive to a very long, unctuous and exotic finish of oranges, honey and marmalade. This is a decadently rich and opulent, near over-the-top, Late Harvest Pinot Gris, medium in sweetness, with flavours of oranges, honey and toffee with an unctuous but lively mouthfeel. Serve with light honey, caramel and toffee-influenced desserts, or on its own over the next 3-4+ years. Pinot Gris fruit with botrytis infection fermented in seasoned French oak puncheons to 13.0% alc. and 13 g/L RS, the wine aged 18 months on lees in oak. 18.0+/20 Apr 2016 RRP $30.00