Pegasus Bay Chardonnay is a premium wine from the famed Pegasus Bay winery, located in the heart of New Zealand's Waipara Valley. This elegant Chardonnay is known for its complex aroma of ripe peach, pear, and vanilla, with hints of spicy oak and butterscotch. On the palate, it is rich and full-bodied, with a seamless blend of fruit, oak, and acidity. This wine is made from hand-picked grapes and fermented in French oak barrels, giving it a distinctive character and a long, smooth finish. Pegasus Bay Chardonnay is a sophisticated and well-crafted wine that pairs perfectly with seafood, poultry, and ripe cheeses.

Tasting Notes

Lemon/straw in colour, its bouquet reveals a vibrant melange of green apple, lemon, peach and hints of acacia. Struck match notes and a flinty minerality add to the wine’s savoury complexity, with touches of vanilla and baking spices providing further interest. The palate is mouth filling, however there is a spine of refreshing acidity that gives the wine satisfying tension and a prolonged finish.

About the Winery

The story of Pegasus Bay starts with the history of the Donaldson family. The family has been involved and immersed in all the processes of the wine industry since the early 1970s. They were pioneers and developers of various unique and better ways of growing grapevines locally and producing wines from them. Ivan Donaldson, a consultant neurologist and associate professor, became interested in the art of winemaking. It started when Christine, his girlfriend, handed him a book named Wine, written by Hugh Johnson, a legend in the English industry.

The book set Ivan on an incredible and exciting journey, one that never ceased once it started. It urged him to explore the renowned wine areas of Europe. After his trip, Ivan came back to plant a vineyard that now is one of the first of the modern-day Canterbury. It was at this time that he married Christine. She, later on, became an integral element to the story of Pegasus Bay.

By the middle of the 1980s, the couple realised the worth that Canterbury had in the industry of winemaking. They grew the property and operations of Pegasus Bay extensively with the help and support of their four sons. The vineyards owned by the winery got planted back in 1985, producing exceedingly low yields per grapevine. They give small berries and loose bunches per harvest.

The vineyards remain in the vicinity of the Teviotdale Range, getting a high level of protection from the easterly breezes of the Pacific. The soil has free drainage properties with low fertility. They help in enhancing the naturally reduced vigour and flavour of the grapevines. It, in turn, helps develop and grow high-quality and juicy grapes ripened to an optimal degree. Wines produced using these fruits can express the characteristics and qualities of their unique setting.

https://www.pegasusbay.com

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