Pegasus Bay Chardonnay 2005
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Robert
Parker
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Although winemakers Matthew Donaldson and Lynette Hudson look as if they have just got in from an all-night rave, they are presently producing some of New Zealand's most exhilarating, Burgundyinspired white wines, their reds suffused with earthy flavors. They are demonstrating the potential of the Canterbury wine region and constitute one of New Zealand's best producers. Their whites are exhilarating and seem best between a year in bottle and around five years."
-Wine Advocate
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- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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2000-
Wine
Enthusiast
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Wine
Enthusiast
Three of their four sons have since joined the business. Matthew, their eldest son is wine making. Their youngest son Paul is General Manager while another son Edward is Marketing Manager and along with his wife Belinda runs the highly acclaimed winery restaurant which has been awarded NZ’s top winery restaurant for 5 consecutive years in the Cuisine Magazine NZ restaurant of the year awards, and has been awarded a coveted Chefs Hat in 2015.
The estate’s primary focus is Pinot Noir and Riesling. The home vineyard was planted on the north facing terraces of the Waipara Valley on free draining river gravels. The site is ultra low yielding and produces fruit of rare concentration. Structure and texture however are hallmarks of the estate’s highly individual wines. The home vineyard is now 30 years old where the fruit is exclusively sourced.
Recent accolades include receiving a 5 star rating by Robert Parker where he named Pegasus Bay one of New Zealand’s top 5 estates, rated by Matthew Dukes as one of the worlds most iconic 100 wines estates, named Canterbury’s top producer by Michael Cooper.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A relatively young but extremely promising wine producing country, New Zealand is widely recognized for its distinctive white wines made from the aromatic, Sauvignon blanc.
The world’s most southerly vineyards are found here, with significant climatic variation both between and within the warmer North Island and the cooler South Island. Overall, the climate is maritime, with plenty of rainfall, as well as abundant sunshine. Producers have almost unilaterally embraced cutting-edge winery technology, resulting in clean, high-quality New Zealand wines at every price point from wallet-friendly to premium.
Sauvignon blanc, known here for its trademark herbaceous character, is at its best in Marlborough but thrives throughout the nation, accounting for an overwhelming majority of the country’s exports. While this is indeed the country’s most planted and successful variety, it is certainly not the only New Zealand grape capable of delighting wine lovers.
Chardonnay is the second-most important white variety and takes on a supple texture with citrus and tropical fruit aromas in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, respectively. Pinot noir, second behind Sauvignon blanc in national production numbers, is at its best in Central Otago—the most southerly winegrowing region in the world! These New Zealand wines are known for bright and juicy red fruit. Taking cues from the wines of Alsace, aromatic varieties like Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewürztraminer shine in Martinborough, while red wine Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot have found success in Hawke’s Bay. Throughout New Zealand but especially in Marlborough, Pinot noir and Chardonnay are used to produce traditional method sparkling NZ wines.