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Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
2016 Pinot Noir ‘Aged Release’, Pegasus Bay

2016 Pinot Noir ‘Aged Release’, Pegasus Bay

North Canterbury, New Zealand

Forest Silk

Mature red cherry, dark plum and blackberry unfold into forest floor, wild mushroom, dried herbs and black olive tapenade. Hints of leather, game and warming spice add further complexity, creating a beautifully evolved Pinot Noir that still retains a clear core of fruit.

Concentrated yet finely shaped, with developed, silky tannins and a refreshing mineral line running through the palate. Savoury fruit, woodland spice and gentle oak build towards a long, composed finish. A decade in bottle has brought softness and depth without diminishing its energy, making this a compelling example of mature North Canterbury Pinot Noir.

For when: Sunday lunch deserves a Pinot with a decade of stories to tell.

Pairs with: Roast duck, game birds, lamb loin, wild mushroom risotto, truffle dishes or mature Comté.

This is Pegasus Bay’s original 2016 Pinot Noir, retained in the estate’s cellar and released at full maturity. It offers the rare pleasure of a beautifully developed wine with impeccable provenance, showing exactly why Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir has earned such a strong reputation for graceful ageing.

Whats in the bottle
100% Pinot Noir

Notable Awards
95 points, Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

£49.00 - £49.00
£49.00
£49.00 - £49.00
£49.00
Availability:
In stock

Pegasus Bay is one of the pioneering names of New Zealand wine. Its story began in 1976, when neurologist and wine enthusiast Ivan Donaldson planted one of Canterbury’s first vineyards. He and his wife Christine established Pegasus Bay in 1986, creating a family estate that would play an important role in developing the reputation of North Canterbury.

The home vineyard occupies sheltered, north-facing terraces in the Waipara Valley. The Teviotdale Range offers protection from cool Pacific winds, while free-draining Glasnevin Gravels combine greywacke stones, silt and loam washed down from the Southern Alps. Low fertility naturally restricts vigour and yields, helping the vines produce concentrated fruit. Warm days encourage ripeness, while some of the coolest nights in Waipara preserve acidity and extend the growing season.

Pegasus Bay remains a genuine family business, with the second generation now actively involved. Pinot Noir and Riesling have become particular signatures, combining generous fruit with savoury complexity, structure and an ability to mature. Through its Aged Release programme, the estate retains small quantities of selected vintages in its own cellar before releasing them approximately ten years later, giving customers access to fully mature wines with complete confidence in their storage and provenance.

Made from Pinot Noir grown across several blocks and clones within Pegasus Bay’s estate vineyard in the Waipara Valley. The mature vines occupy low-fertility, free-draining terraces, with a large proportion planted on their own roots.

The different parcels were picked according to ripeness to capture a combination of red and dark fruit. Approximately one third of the grapes were placed into the fermentation vats as whole bunches. The remainder was destemmed on top, retaining as many whole berries as possible. A cool pre-fermentation period encouraged gentle extraction before fermentation began naturally after approximately one week.

The cap was plunged twice daily during fermentation. Once fermentation was complete, the wine remained with the skins for up to another week, with each parcel assessed by tasting. It was then gently pressed and transferred to French oak barriques from selected Burgundian coopers, 40% of which were new.

Natural malolactic fermentation took place in barrel, followed by 18 months of maturation. The individual parcels and clones were then blended before bottling. The wine was retained under controlled conditions at the estate for approximately a decade before release. Alcohol: 13.5%.

Grape
Pinot Noir

Alcohol by Volume
14%

Vintage
2016

Country
New Zealand

Size
750ml

Types
Red Wine

Producer
Pegasus bay

Region
North Canterbury

Sub-Region
Waipara