Pegasus Bay Estate Waipara Valley Sauvignon Semillon 2019

Pegasus Bay Estate Waipara Valley Sauvignon Semillon 2019French oak Baked apple Thyme & smoke Crisp minerality "Wonderfully fruited and complex with grapefruit, apricot, lime peel, oatmeal and smoky aromas, it's powerfully expressive and persistent on the palate delivering excellent weight and intensity backed by textured mouthfeel and crisp acidity. Harmonious and flavoursome with engaging flavours" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Dec 2021 "Bright, pale yellow with some depth and a green sheen. The wine has an

• French oak
• Baked apple
• Thyme & smoke
• Crisp minerality

"Wonderfully fruited and complex with grapefruit, apricot, lime peel, oatmeal and smoky aromas, it's powerfully expressive and persistent on the palate delivering excellent weight and intensity backed by textured mouthfeel and crisp acidity. Harmonious and flavoursome with engaging flavours" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Dec 2021

"Bright, pale yellow with some depth and a green sheen. The wine has an enticing bouquet, softly penetrating generous aromas of citrus, apple interweave asparagus spears, nettle, smoky flint, toasted almonds and custard. Medium-bodied, the palate is intense and concentrated, creamy custard texture carries lemon, citrus peels, apple, unfolding asparagus, nettle, white spice, gunflint and a hint of nuttiness. The Sauvignon Blanc portion shows lush fruit and herbaceous details; the Semillon portion contributes to a waxy, oily texture, along with brilliant acidity. The combination offers a great deal of complexity and punch, with the rich, concentrated nuances, lends a sophisticated, long finish" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews, Nov 2021

"There are few SBS blends in New Zealand, so if one winery was going to buck the trend, it was going to be Pegasus Bay. They've been making a Sauvignon Semillon cuvée since the late 1990s, and the 2019 Sauvignon Semillon is the usual 70% Sauvignon/30% Sémillon blend with a characteristic aromatic profile that's all florals, struck flint and nectarines. The Sauvignon is fermented in tank while the Sémillon undergoes its transformation from grape to wine in large oak puncheons before spending 10 months on leesand a further year marrying in bottle – hence 2019 is the current release. It has a light spritz on entry, giving a lively start to proceedings. The small 2019 crop ripened fully and offers an intensity of concentration on the midpalatethat packs a punch, making this a Sauvignon blend that's not for the faint-hearted. The finish offers up a light note of minted peas and a hint of phenolics. It's idiosyncratic but it's also intriguing" Rebecca Gibb, Master of Wine, Vinous, Jan 2022

"A beautiful wine for savouring now or cellaring. This stunning Sauvignon Semillon blend is a great expression of the inspiration and innovation combined with great viticulture at North Canterbury’s Pegasus Bay winery. This is a Kiwi take on the classic white Bordeaux theme, with weight and textural qualities from fermentation in old oak, supported by the freshness of ripe apple, lime, gooseberry and passionfruit. The Sauvignon (70%) brings fruit and acidity, while the Semillon (30%) builds weight, richness and age-ability" Joelle Thompson, DrinksBiz, Mar 2022

"Struck match and sweat lead, underlying that ripe tropical fruits with a honeyed note. Ripe and rounded palate offering pea pod, green herbs, a smoky nuance and dry honey. Really kicks into gear in the glass showing power and depth of flavour with a super long finish. Adds a wisp of citrus and smoke. Quite a serious, grown up style, equally at home with food" Mark Henderson, Otago Daily Times, Jan 2022

On release the colour is pale lemon. The nose is powerfully expressive, charred citrus, crushed thyme, and baked apple melded with nettle, blossom, and a whiff of gun smoke. In the mouth it is richly textured, with refreshing acidity and a phenolic drive that adds structure, weight, and complexity. While the Semillon component fills out the palate and gives richness, the wine is vibrant and energised, it’s crisp minerality leading the way to a persistent finish.

The vineyard is located within the Waipara Valley of North Canterbury, on free draining, north facing terraces. It benefits from being in the lee of the Teviotdale Range, giving maximum protection from the Pacific’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, flavourful 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.

Unsettled weather over flowering resulted in a lighter than average set, meaning that no further fruit thinning was necessary. A classic North Canterbury summer then enabled this smaller crop to mature beautifully. Accelerated ripening allowed harvest to take place slightly earlier than usual, and favourable autumn weather ensured the grapes were picked in perfect condition.

This is a unique expression of a traditional white Bordeaux blend using approximately 70% Sauvignon Blanc & 30% Semillon. Both varieties were picked in stages, timing each harvest to optimise the grapes’ range of natural flavours. These varieties were fermented separately, most of the Sauvignon in stainless steel to retain the pure fruit character (with approx. one third on skins) and all the Semillon in oak puncheons to add texture. A small percentage of the Sauvignon Blanc was also matured in new French barrels to give extra length and complexity. Both varieties were aged on their natural deposits of yeast lees (sur lie) for approximately 10 mths, prior to blending. Once bottled, the wine was left to age for another year before release, allowing it to integrate further.