Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 2011
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lifted spicy cherry fruit on the nose with higher tones of raspberry coulis and cranberry. Hints of purple flowers, hoisin, Peking duck and spicy oak complete the aromas. Lively and driven on the palate, the red fruits show supporting characters of Asian spice and a waft of forest floor. Roast game, red licorice, milk chocolate and spicy oak complete the picture. Great line, lively acidity and a balanced, lingering finish. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale ruby-purple colored, the 2011 Pinot Noir gives quite an earthy nose with hints of dried Provence herbs complimenting the red currant, cranberry and mossy bark core. The palate explodes with earthy goodness and delicate red fruit with a good backbone of grainy tannins and lively acid, finishing long.
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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.
New Zealand Pinot Noir has jumped onto the world wine stage with recent but rapid growth in quality and recognition. Pinot Noir didn’t develop a significant presence in New Zealand until the late 1980’s, and production stayed small in the beginning. But plantings doubled between 2003 and 2013, quality jumped and the world took notice. This is partly due to the propogation of one specific clone, the Abel clone (named after the customs agent who discovered vine cuttings hidden in a boot) that is rumored to be originally from Burgundy’s famous, Domaine de la Romanee Conti.
Pinot Noir is grown throughout New Zealand, but the majority hails from the South Island. The most important North Island region is Wairarapa, near the southern tip. Here the thin, poor soils and frost danger keep yields low. But the long growing season and dramatic diurnal temperature shift lead to dry, earthy Pinot Noir wines that in good years, show terrific red fruit and lovely depth.
The South Island in New Zealand has three regions of great significance. Marlborough Pinot Noirs hail mostly from the Awatere Valley, which is slightly drier and cooler than the Wairau Valley. The grape is grown for both sparkling and still wines, with the latter showing improvement as the vines age. The Canterbury region is composed of small producers making handcrafted Pinot Noirs that show tantalizing promise. Finally, Central Otago in New Zealand is the world’s southernmost wine region. Summers here are short but extremely sunny and dry, with cold nights that preserve grape acidity. Otago Pinot Noir wines show earthy and herbal notes, as well as vivacious red fruit flavors that are as bright as they are ripe. It is unusual, in fact, to find a Pinot that is under 14% alcohol. Taken together, New Zealand Pinot Noirs offer a wealth of delightful options for fans of this variety.