Pegasus Bay Chardonnay 2022

Pegasus Bay is an organically farmed estate in the Waipara Valley in Canterbury, a cool, dry corner of New Zealand's South Island well suited to Chardonnay. Waipara's free draining gravel and limestone soils, together with a cool climate and a wide day to night temperature range, ripen the fruit slowly and hold a firm line of acidity, which gives this fuller style its balance. The wine is aged twelve months in French oak barrels on its lees. Barrel ageing allows a slow oxygen exchange through the wood that builds texture and adds vanilla and toast, while lees contact and the release of mannoproteins fill out the palate and add a creamy, nutty depth. The colour is a bright yellow. The nose is white peach and lemon with vanilla, honey and toasted oak. The palate is dry and full bodied, creamy and layered, with almond and a long, savoury finish carried by the cool climate acidity. Serve at 11 to 13 degrees in a large Chardonnay glass.