Wine: Pegasus Bay: Pinot Noir

Waipara

Waipara, an exciting viticultural sub-region of Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand, is located 45 minutes north of the city of Christchurch.  Its latitude equates to that of the south of France in the northern hemisphere.  To the east, the Waipara Valley is separated from Pegasus Bay by a range of hills, which protect it from the cooling winds of the Pacific. To the west lie the Southern Alps (Main Divide), from where the regions hot northwest winds derive. Its sheltered position, but proximity to the sea, gives it warm days, cool nights and a dry autumn, resulting in a very prolonged ripening period. This promotes intense flavor development and optimal ripeness, while retaining good natural acidity.

Canterbury is the fourth largest wine-producing region in New Zealand.  It is also one of the newest, exciting, rapidly expanding wine regions with considerable international investment.

Soil types range from chalky loams rich in limestone on the hillside to the alluvial silt loams over gravel subsoils in the flats.  This diversity is a unique quality of this 100,000 case production wine area.  Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the most widely planted grapes making up approximately 60% of the region’s vineyard.  Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc are other popular varietals for the Waipara region.

Pegasus Bay

The Donaldsons have been seriously involved in wine since the early 1970’s and were pioneers of local grape growing and wine making. Associate Professor and Consultant Neurologist, Ivan Donaldson, is a wine writer and wine judge. He also oversees viticulture and wine styles. His wife, Christine, is the business manager and as a passionate opera lover, organizes operatic concerts in Pegasus Bay’s natural amphitheatre. Their eldest son, Matthew, graduated from Roseworthy College and holds the winemaking reins with his wife, Lynnette Hudson, who graduated with distinction from Lincoln University with a postgraduate diploma in oenology and viticulture.  Another son, Edward Donaldson, is trained as a chef and oversees the Pegasus Bay Restaurant as well as holding the position of marketing manager.  The youngest son, Paul Donaldson, recently joined this family team as General Manager.  Pegasus Bay is an entirely family-owned and operated enterprise.  The wines all come from their vineyard.

The aim of Pegasus Bay is to grow grapes of the highest quality, which fully express the features of the vineyard, and to handle these with the utmost respect. Natural methods and as little intervention as possible at all stages from vine to bottle typify their approach. They believe in sustainable viticultural management, organic techniques, low crop levels, minimal handling of fruit during processing and gentle pressing. They allow wines to go through natural malolactic fermentation and clarify by settling. Their red wines are bottled without filtration. They aspire to capture the unique flavors of the vineyard in their wine.

The vines were carefully trained by hand so leaves and bunches were fully exposed to the sun. To ensure good physiological maturation in the fruit,
grapes were destemmed and placed in multiple small vats for 4-5 days. Fermentation then commenced and the cap was punched down twice a day to
keep skins moist. Subsequently the wine was gently pressed off the skins without post-fermentation maceration and then put into French barriques
(30% new.) Natural secondary fermentation (also known as malolactic fermentation) occurred the following spring. It spent a total of 18 months in
oak and during this time the wine clarified naturally. There was contact with fine lees and the wine was carefully racked only once before bottling. This
traditional Burgundian approach promotes beautiful extraction of fruit aromas and flavors and ripe, velvety tannins that are not harsh.

2006 Pinot Noir, 91 points - Wine & Spirits “One of Years Best NZ PN” (Feb 2009)

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