Pegasus Bay Aria Waipara Valley Late Picked Riesling 2018

Pegasus Bay Aria Waipara Valley Late Picked Riesling 2018Medium sweet style Apricot & mango Manuka honey Refreshing acidity "Estate grown at Waipara, the delicious 2018 vintage is packaged in a full sized (750 ml) bottle. Bright, light yellow green, it has rich, ripe, peachy flavours, sweet but not super sweet, a hint of honey, and notable depth and harmony. It should be long lived, but is already a lovely mouthful" Michael Cooper, May 2021 "Bright, pale yellow gold, even colour throughout. Brilliant aroma

• Medium-sweet style
• Apricot & mango
• Manuka honey
• Refreshing acidity

"Estate-grown at Waipara, the delicious 2018 vintage is packaged in a full-sized (750-ml) bottle. Bright, light yellow/green, it has rich, ripe, peachy flavours, sweet but not super-sweet, a hint of honey, and notable depth and harmony. It should be long-lived, but is already a lovely mouthful" Michael Cooper, May 2021

"Bright, pale yellow-gold, even colour throughout. Brilliant aroma on the nose, gently-opening, nuances of ginger, honeysuckle, melded with apricot, mandarin, orange marmalade. Medium-bodied, sweet to taste, enticing aromas of apricot, mandarin and lime have a pure core, orange zest and marmalade unveil, along with honey, honeysuckle and a lasting hint of ginger. The wine is refreshing and uncloying, supported by mouthwatering acidity, carry this flavoursome nectar through the palate with ease. Botrytis affected grapes contribute to the concentration of flavour, flaunting lush fruit and richness. … bringing a brilliantly refreshing palate with the usual complexity" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews, Apr 2021

"Offering opulence as well as sophistication, this gorgeously styled wine shows mango, mandarin, Manuka honey and fragrant spice aromas on the nose, followed by a richly expressed palate exhibiting plush mouthfeel and creamy texture, wonderfully enhanced by delicious sweetness and refreshing acidity" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Apr 2021

Upon release the colour is bright lemon. The bouquet is a tantalising patchwork of apricot, marmalade, honey and orange zest, interwoven with floral notes and a lick of ginger. The botrytis has added concentration and richness, yet there is a refreshing zestiness backed with bright acidity that teases the palate, ensuring the wine remains lively and well balanced, with a prolonged finish.

The vineyard is located within the Waipara Valley of North Canterbury, on free draining, north facing terraces. It benefi ts from being in the lee of the Teviotdale Range, giving maximum protection from the Pacifi c’s easterly breezes and thus creating a unique mesoclimate. The vines are over 30 years old, with a large proportion planted on their own roots. They are located on the “Glasnevin Gravels” where greywacke stones, silt and loam have been washed down from the mountains over the millennia. The soil is of low fertility, resulting in naturally reduced vine vigour. This produces low yields of optimally ripened, high quality, fl avourful grapes, which fully express the qualities of this unique terroir. The vineyard has warm days, but the nights are amongst the coolest in the Waipara Valley, drawing out the ripening period of the grapes, while still retaining good natural acidity.

Settled weather during December provided optimal conditions for fl owering. A very hot summer then enabled the grapes to ripen beautifully. Free draining stony soil helped mitigate the eff ects of some late summer rain, and the ensuing dry autumn meant the fruit was able to be picked in excellent condition with a portion of noble botrytis.

The grapes were picked in mid-May to select bunches with between 30-50% botrytis. The grapes were then gently pressed and the juice fermented slowly at cool temperatures to help the wine retain its vibrant fruit characters and varietal purity. At all stages, from fermentation to bottling, it was handled very carefully to help retain a little of its natural carbon dioxide. This has resulted in a small amount of spritzig, which adds extra liveliness to the wine and accentuates its freshness.