Pegasus Bay Thumbs its Nose at Sauvignon Blanc

Pegasus Bay is located an hour’s drive north from Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand. It’s well-worth a visit, not only because it is Waipara’s star winery, but also because a trip here will end up changing many of your conceptions about wine. Firstly that winemakers are only about wine. Pegasus Bay is staunchly a family-owned winery, but there is a surfeit of talent in the Donaldson clan that manifests itself around the business. The well-manicured gardens are the result of careful tending by the matriarch of the family, Christine Donaldson. Her stamp can also be seen in the naming of Pegasus Bay’s Reserve wines, which bear names such as Aria, Bel Canto and Encore – operatic terms that reflect Christine’s love of the arts. As a passionate singer herself, Christine used to belt out tunes in the family car on drives to the winery with her children. “It used to drive us a little bit crazy,” laughs Edward Donaldson, Pegasus Bay’s Marketing Manager, “although we’re fans of opera ourselves now.” His eldest brother Matthew is the winemaker, while youngest brother Paul works as the General Manager. Matthew also designed the logo (shown left) for Pegasus Bay’s first vintage in 1991.

Waipara (not to be confused with Wairarapa in the North Island), is a cool-climate wine region with low rainfall. There are two main types of soil here, clay-limestone and free-draining river gravels, the latter of which Pegasus Bay is planted on. The Pegasus Bay vineyards also benefit from being sheltered from the Pacific Ocean’s cool easterly breezes by the Teviotdale hills. A lack of rainfall during harvest allows for longer hang time, meaning that even late-ripening varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon can be planted here. Sauvignon Blanc forms the majority of plantings in Waipara, mostly as contract fruit sold to Villa Maria and Nobilo, but it is Riesling and Pinot Noir which this region is famous for. Many of the wineries here are small-scale producers focused on quality, a better fit for Riesling and Pinot Noir rather than mass-market Sauvignon Blanc. Professor Ivan Donaldson, who established Pegasus Bay, was convinced that Riesling could succeed in Waipara after tasting the Robard & Butler Amberley Riesling produced by Corbans in the late 1970s, a legendary wine made from locally sourced fruit. Two thirds of Pegasus Bay is now planted with Riesling and Pinot Noir.

Edward attributes part of the success of Pegasus Bay to the fact that it is run by a single family. “You’re working for yourself and so you put in more commitment and effort into it,” he says. “It can be a recipe for disaster when it goes bad but thankfully that’s never happened for us. We get on really well and there’s no animosity between us.” Each family member’s role is clearly defined so there is no overlap of responsibilities. The winery is also part of a larger “family”, the Family of Twelve association which is a grouping of family-owned estates that aim to share information and best practices. 

Within the grounds can also be found an award-winning restaurant run by Edward’s wife Belinda, which serves up local delights such as a wild hare and shiitake terrine and Canterbury lamb cutlet with puy lentils, walnut and pecorino romano. The restaurant saw an uptick in business after the Christchurch earthquakes, as many of the city’s restaurants were closed and there was a lack of dining options. On the flip side, it became much harder for the restaurant to attract skilled hospitality workers because many young locals packed up and moved to Auckland or Australia in search of jobs.

The focus on quality at Pegasus Bay led to the decision around 10 years ago to start holding back wines to let them age in bottle for a longer period. All of the wines are aged for a minimum of 12 months in bottle, some for longer. Initially, this led to a situation where they were out of stock for a long while, but the benefit is that the wines are now allowed enough time to integrate and develop complexity.

Tasting notes:
 
Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2012 – Based on this wine an argument could be made for more Bordeaux-style blends in New Zealand. The Sauvignon Blanc component dominates with crisp passionfruit aromatics, but the Semillon adds some textural weight and lemon notes.

Pegasus Bay Chardonnay 2011 – Made from the Mendoza clone planted on own roots. Indigenous yeast fermentation. Refined and fresh with citrus fruit character. The oak is well-handled, just a subtle hint of vanilla on the finish, and serves to highlight the quality of the fruit. Very good.

Pegasus Bay Bel Canto 2011 – The top dry Riesling of Pegasus Bay, this wine contains partially botrytised grapes to provide stone fruit flavours and add another dimension of complexity. There is certainly a lot of fruit extract here, with a nose of petrol reminiscent of some young Clare Valley Rieslings. Very slightly off dry, balanced by fresh acidity. 

Pegasus Bay Riesling 2011 – Picked slightly earlier than the Bel Canto with more residual sugar. Fruit forward and clean flavours with an attractive stone fruit and grapefruit profile.

Pegasus Bay Aria Late Harvest Riesling 2012 – I have always found the Aria Riesling to be outstanding, and this is no exception. Intense and concentrated with rich tropical fruit, orange marmalade, citrus peels and limey acidity with some botrytis weight, this wine delivers wave after wave of drinking pleasure.

Pegasus Bay Merlot Cabernet 2011 – Generous ripe fruit with Merlot dominating and lending flavours of black plum skin, spice and vanilla. Smooth tannins with a medium to full body, this wine is immediately approachable.

Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 2011 – Destemmed grapes whole bunch fermented in small vats. Shows a forward and aromatic with a mix of juicy strawberries and black cherry. Fine concentration on the palate, with a finish that is long and intense.

Pegasus Bay Prima Donna 2011 – A different beast entirely from the estate Pinot Noir. This shows great depth and firmness, with the fruit profile leaning towards the darker spectrum of blackberries and black cherry. Fine, youthful tannins. Spice-filled finish with notes of chocolate malt. Outstanding. Give this prima donna the respect she deserves and let her sing only when ready.