Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 2023

Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir is a beautifully expressive North Canterbury Pinot Noir from the Donaldson family's celebrated Waipara Valley winery. The 2023 vintage brings together fragrant raspberry, ripe cherry and dark plum, complemented by delicate violet florals, dried herbs, earthy undertones and subtle spice. The palate is wonderfully generous yet refined, with succulent red fruit, silky tannins and vibrant natural acidity giving the wine impressive balance and structure. A touch of savoury complexity and finely integrated French oak add depth, while the long, elegant finish makes every sip a pleasure. Already drinking beautifully, it also has excellent potential to develop further in the cellar. A superb match for roast duck, lamb, wild mushroom dishes or venison.

What the winery says:

The 2023 Pinot Noir comes from mature vines over 30 years old, planted on the free-draining Glasnevin Gravels of Pegasus Bay's north-facing Waipara Valley terraces. A favourable growing season, with good summer warmth and healthy fruit development, produced beautifully ripened grapes. Traditional Burgundian winemaking methods were employed, with approximately 40% whole bunches included in fermentation alongside destemmed fruit. Following a period of cold soaking, the wine underwent natural fermentation with gentle hand plunging before being transferred to French oak barriques, 30% new, for 15 months of maturation. The finished wine displays fragrant raspberry, cherry, violet and dried herbs, with subtle mineral notes, supple tannins and lively acidity delivering a beautifully balanced, elegant finish.

What the experts say:

Susie Barrie MW & Peter Richards MW, 96/100 (2023)
"‘There’s a lot going on with our Pinots,’ muses Ed Donaldson, and he’s not wrong. Pegasus Bay has made a laudable name for itself by crafting wines of serious, sometimes even outrageous personality and winning swagger. This Pinot brings together aged vines and a mixture of 12 different clones plus a range of winemaking techniques (including 40% whole bunch and 30% new oak barrels). The result is a serious, expressive, intense jolt of autumnal energy, packed full of wild berry, woodsmoke, ferruginous flavour and with a grippy yet elegant tannic framework. As with so many of the Pegasus Bay wines, it’s fundamentally gastronomic, so one to put with food, and it will also age well. (The 2015 Aged Release was showing wonderfully truffley maturity and complexity in 2025.) Coming back to the vineyards, part of the reason for the intensity in Pegasus Bay’s wines is the low yields – sometimes painfully so. Ed explains that they’re regularly getting half the quantities that other comparable New Zealand Pinot Noir vineyards will be achieving, sometimes significantly less. Such are the lengths that this quality-oriented producer will go to in the search for personality and age-worthiness in their wines."

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, 95/100 (2023)
"Wonderfully fruited and fragrant, the bouquet presents aromas of dark plum, baking spice, smoked meat, and roasted nuts. The palate offers succulent fruit intensity with fleshy texture and plump mouthfeel, beautifully supported by layers of polished tannins. Harmonious and flavoursome with refinement and complexity. At its best: now to 2035."

Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, 18.5+/20 (2023)
“The nose is bright, with aromas of cherry, black raspberry, floral, dried herbs and earthy elements. Medium-full bodied, aromas of red cherry and raspberry melded with dried thyme, oregano, violet, cinnamon and undergrowth. The fruit is soft and plush with purity, supported by lacy acidity. Dusty tannins lightly structured the fruit, unfolding savoury and earthy details. It has a welcoming, gentle yet bright expression compared to its past vintages. Match with duck breast and lamb loin over the next 10 years. Fermented with 40% of whole bunch, cold-soaked for a week approx, natural fermentation to 13%, pressed to Burgundy oak barriques, 30% new and aged for 15 months. 18.5+/20 pts (94 pts) Jun 2025.”

Cameron Douglas MS, 93/100 (2023)
“A core of dark ruby with purple hues and a pink rim lead to a bouquet of complexity, ripe red berry fruits, wood spice and earth-smoke. Dry, savoury, complex and varietal with flavours of dark plum and baked red berry fruits. There’s fresh dark skinned cherry, violet and dark rose, cinnamon and sweet bay leaf then a moderately intense wood and oak spice complexity. Taut and youthful with development poised to step in. A lovely wine with best drinking from 2026 through 2032.”