Classic Bordeaux blend in New Zealand

The Donaldson Family, founder of Pegasus Bay, was the pioneer of the Waipara Valley wine region in North Canterbury on New Zealand’s South Island 40 years ago. Today, the name Pegasus Bay stands for one of the most renowned New Zealand wineries and always convinces with outstanding wines. The grapes for this Bordeaux blend come from north-facing wine terraces with good water permeability and sparse structure. As a result, the 30-year-old vines, some of which are root-resistant, have particularly deep roots and provide excellent grape material with low yields. They are also protected from the breezes of the Pacific by their slipstream side and therefore there is a special mesoclimate. The vineyards are characterized by particularly warm days and very cool nights, which leads to an optimal ripeness of the grapes on the one hand and a good, natural acid structure on the other.
This wine was prepared according to the traditional methods of Bordeaux. The grapes were naturally fermented in stainless steel tanks and the must was regularly pumped over to keep the skins moist, resulting in optimal tannin extraction. After careful pressing, it was filled into 25% new French barriques for maturation. There he underwent a second, malolactic fermentation the following summer. After 18 months of maturation in the barrels, the individual grape varieties were carefully blended to obtain a perfectly balanced wine result of about 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Franc.

And this is how the Pegasus Bay Estate Merlot Cabernet tastes

The fruit-sweet aromas of Pegasus Bay Merlot Cabernet of black cherry, dark plum, and cassis immediately catch your nose. This is accompanied by liquorice, chocolate, vanilla and spices. In the mouth, the wine presents itself rich and powerful, with a backbone of ripe tannins and a fruity finish. The wine has a full body, but remains soft, juicy and fruity due to the Merlot influence.