Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 2023

Pegasus Bay was established by the Donaldson family in 1970 in the Waipara Valley, in Canterbury on New Zealand's South Island, with the grapes and methods of Burgundy as their model. The family are pioneers of the region and work to ecological standards in both vineyard and cellar. This single-variety Pinot Noir comes from vineyards in the Waipara Valley, where free-draining gravel and limestone clay soils and a climate sheltered by the Teviotdale hills give warm days and cool nights. That diurnal swing ripens the fruit while holding the acidity and aromatic lift, and the limestone clay lends the wine its savoury, structured frame. Ageing in French oak barrels rounds the tannins through slow oxygen exchange and adds a light cedar and spice layer to the fruit. The wine is deep ruby. The nose shows ripe cherry, wild strawberry and plum over earth, oak and a faint pepper. The palate is medium to full bodied, with fine tannin, generous red fruit and a long, savoury, earthy finish. Serve at 16 degrees in a wide glass. It suits roast duck, game birds and beef.