Owned and operated by the Donaldson family, Pegasus Bay is situated in the Waipara Valley, South Island, NZ, about 30 minutes drive north of Christchurch. 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 flavour development and optimal ripeness, while retaining good natural acidity.

The Donaldsons have been seriously involved in winemaking since the early seventies and were pioneers of local grape growing and winemaking in this region. Pegasus Bay is a member of the NZWG Sustainable Viticulture programme. This involves minimal handling and intervention in wine grape production. The winery's philosophy is to grow grapes of the highest quality and to fully express the features of the vineyard. These are handled with the utmost respect.

Immensely complex and engaging, the wine shows dark berry richness with warm spice, roasted nut, smoky bacon and forest floor nuances, leading to a gracefully powerful palate delivering multi-layered mouthfeel and silky tannins. Mouthfilling and sumptuous, finishing impressively long and gratifying. Rating: 97 Points; Sam Kim; Wine Orbit

A selection of the best barrels from exceptional vintages and mostly from the oldest, ungrafted vines. Intense, elegant pinot noir with plum, dark cherry, floral, spice and anise flavours. Showing the benefit of a little bottle age but with potential to develop further. A very classy wine. Rating: 96 Points; Bob Campbell MW; The Real Review

Bright, clear ruby-red colour, lighter on the rim. The wine has an alluring bouquet, slowly growing with red fruit, cherries, dried cranberries, underlying spice, forest floor, dried herb and delicate flower, along with a hint of smoky minerals. Medium-bodied, sweet fruit of cherries, dried cranberries, hibiscus, unfolding mushroom, forest floor, dried herb, then cinnamon, grounded nutmeg lingers with minerals. The wine is complex and pretty, delicate with underlying power and strength. Integrated lacy acidity seductively gliding along a fine-grained, silky mouthfeel to linearity, enduring sweet fruit and floral. This seductive Pinot Noir with delicate sweet fruit and floral features on a silky mouthfeel with power, charm, and a long, satisfying finish. Only produced in exceptional years, selected from best barrels made from the oldest ungrafted vines in the vineyard. Rating: 19+/20; Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews