2020 Pinot Noir, Pegasus Bay

North Canterbury, New Zealand

The 2020 Pinot Noir from Pegasus Bay is crafted by one of New Zealand’s most respected family-owned estates. Established in 1986 by Ivan and Christine Donaldson, Pegasus Bay has become a cornerstone of North Canterbury winemaking. With deep roots in the Waipara Valley and over four decades of family commitment, the Donaldsons have cultivated a unique estate focused on producing wines of authenticity, complexity, and longevity. Their mature, own-rooted vines grow on free-draining, north-facing terraces composed of the ancient Glasnevin Gravels, a mixture of greywacke, silt, and loam, yielding low-vigour vines and intensely flavoured fruit. A long growing season, thanks to warm days and cool nights, draws out ripening while preserving bright natural acidity.

The 2020 Pinot Noir is an elegant and powerful wine, with a bouquet that is both aromatic and grounded. Earthy notes of forest floor, woodsmoke, truffle, and dried herbs weave around vibrant aromas of dark cherry, cranberry, crushed lavender, and exotic spice. On the palate, it opens with generous, ripe fruit before revealing its underlying structure, a broad yet silky texture framed by polished tannins and a lively acid line. There’s a dynamic tension between freshness and richness, giving the wine energy and drive, while a savoury core and hints of clove, potpourri, and spice add further intrigue.

Regarded as one of the great New Zealand Pinot Noirs.

Whats in the bottle
100% Pinot Noir

Notable Awards
95/100 – James Suckling Wine Reviews, www.jamessuckling.com, USA. “… deliciously savoury … There is concentration in the mid-palate that pushes the palate through to a generous finish. Deep and complex.” 5 Stars – Michael Cooper, www.michaelcooperwines.co.nz, NZ “This is one of North Canterbury’s greatest Pinot Noirs …. rich, complex and very savoury.”

£36.00
Taxes included.

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  • Producer Information
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Pegasus Bay is one of New Zealand’s most esteemed family-owned wineries, located in the Waipara Valley of North Canterbury. Founded in 1986 by Ivan and Christine Donaldson, who were among the pioneers of viticulture in the region, the estate has remained a true family affair, with all four of their sons actively involved in its operation today.

The vineyard is situated on north-facing, free-draining terraces in the lee of the Teviotdale Range, which offers natural shelter from coastal winds and creates a unique mesoclimate ideal for grape growing. The soils, known as the Glasnevin Gravels, are a blend of greywacke stones, silt, and loam, washed down over millennia, and are naturally low in fertility. This encourages deep root growth and low yields, resulting in fruit of exceptional concentration and character. The climate, with warm days and cool nights, ensures extended ripening and excellent natural acidity.

Pegasus Bay is renowned for producing complex, age-worthy wines, particularly Pinot Noir and Riesling, along with richly textured Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Their wines are widely acclaimed both domestically and internationally for their balance, depth, and strong sense of place.

Traditional Burgundian winemaking methods were used to make this wine. We picked the various blocks at different stages, depending on their maturity, aiming for a range of red and dark fruit flavours. Approximately 40% the grapes were put at the bottom of the fermentation vats as whole bunches, with the balance being destemmed on top, retaining as many whole berries as possible. The vats were kept cool over the next few days to help extract the soft, silky tannins from the pinot noir skins. After approximately a week, the must started to ferment naturally. During fermentation,n the skins of the grapes were gently plunged twice daily. When the fermentation finished, the grape remnants were left to steep in the wine for up to a week to help extract a different range of tannins that add structure and depth. The exact duration of this period was determined by daily tasting. Subsequently, the wine was gently pressed off and put into oak barriques (40% new) from selected artisan Burgundian coopers. In the summer after harvest, when the weather warmed, the wine underwent a natural malolactic (secondary) fermentation. After maturing for 15 months in these barriques, the batches made from the many different plots and clones of pinot were carefully blended in varying portions to produce the most complex and balanced wine possible.

Grape
Pinot Noir

Alcohol by Volume
14%

Vintage
2020

Country
New Zealand

Size
750ml

Types
Red Wine

Producer
Pegasus bay

Region
North Canterbury

Sub-Region
Waipara

2020 Pinot Noir, Pegasus Bay

£36.00

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