Riesling 2016 'Aged Release'

THE FAMILY The Donaldson Family have been seriously involved in viticulture and winemaking for almost 50 years. Founder Ivan Donaldson planted one of Canterbury’s first vineyards in 1976 and went on to establish Pegasus Bay in 1986 with his wife Christine. It is a true family business, with the second generation now actively involved. THE VINEYARD AND VINES 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 close to 40 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. AGED RELEASE PROGRAM Our aged release program started back in 2006 when we set aside a few cases of our key varieties, Riesling & Pinot Noir, with the intention of releasing them in 2016, 10 years later. Stock has been set aside every vintage since. The inspiration for this came from the desire to offer our customers the opportunity to taste these wines in full maturity, something that is relatively rare these days. We consider this to be a particularly satisfying time to experience these wines with the added complexities of bottle age, while still offering years of good drinking ahead. THE SEASON Warm and settled weather during flowering led to a very large initial set. Fruit thinning was then undertaken to bring the crop back to the desired level. A perfect summer, followed by a warm dry autumn enabled the subsequent grapes to be harvested with excellent flavour development and physiological ripeness. THE HARVEST AND WINEMAKING With its large diurnal range and long lingering autumns, North Canterbury is an ideal playground for Riesling, making it possible to create concentrated wines that still possess favourable acidity. Our house style involves giving the grapes an extended “hang time”, and picking where possible with a small portion of noble botrytis, to accentuate the region’s unique varietal features. Following harvest, the free run juice was fermented slowly at cool temperatures to help the wine retain its vibrant fruit character. At all stages, the wine was handled very carefully to help retain a little of its natural carbon dioxide. This has resulted in a small amount of spritzig, which adds extra liveliness to the wine. THE WINE Its colour is an alluring deep yellow. On the nose there is an abundance of citrus, layered with red apple, apricot, honeysuckle and guava. There are also classic aged notes of beeswax and honey. The palate is full bodied and concentrated, interwoven with ripe phenolics that give structure and length. Despite its body, the wine still has a crisp and refreshing acidity that matches its off-dry finish perfectly. Download Tasting Notes