| Pegasus Bay Riesling Vertical |
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| Written by Craig Thomson | |
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Pegasus Bay Riesling Vertical - 1/2/09 It wouldn’t be outrageous to suggest that Pegasus Bay Riesling is to New Zealand wine what Cloudy Bay is to Sauvignon Blanc. It was a pioneer; it is an iconic representative of a variety which does not have as much traction as it should have. It also, like Cloudy Bay has been faced recently with multiplying quality competition, some of which has arguably overtaken its top spot. These wines however were extremely impressive. We also finished the evening with two super benchmark wines: 2005 Fromm La Strada Spatlese Riesling (2006 KWFC Wine of the Year) Pegasus Bay did not eclipse these stellar wines but in no way were they embarrassed. These rieslings are just such exciting drinks. They have a definite house style, they are lively, vital and flavoursome. I was extremely impressed. The draw card of such a line up ensured plenty of willing volunteers to help with second opinions! As you would expect from us this was no stuffy white coat affair . There was no way any fool was going to be spitting this line up which took me the obvious six years to collect!! We served the wines with antipasto, salmon and creme cheese. Yum Below are my notes and scores followed afterward with a summary of the groups favourites.
2006 Pegasus Bay Riesling. Certainly deeper in colour than the 2007 vintage. The nose seems slightly more sweetly floral than the 2007 with almost a jasmine influence with underlying nectarine fruit and hints again of mild creamed honey. Certainly it is a more stately intellectual nose. The palate displays nectarine, poached yellow tamarillo, and even whisps of cooked rhubarb. There is a raw sugar like touch on the finish. Notably though, the palate on this wine does not have the length on the palate as the 2007. However still a gorgeous wine and very much of the same clan. 94/109 2005 Pegasus Bay Riesling. Colour is quite similar to the 2006, just starting to gain some depth but still very youthful. The nose is very subtle with sugar syrup and perfumed sweet floral notes. I can’t really pull any of the standard Riesling fruit notes out. The palate seems slightly sweeter than the 2006 with very refined with concentrated golden peach, faint tinges of fresh apricot, citrus zest and dark honey. The whole experience finishes dry and clean with a long lingering finish. It is just drinking magically today. 96/109 2004 Pegasus Bay Riesling. This wine has a definite green tinge to its appearance. Still youthful looking. The nose swings to definite tones of citrus; pink grapefruit, lemon and plenty of citrus zest along with a chalky minerality. Notably drier than the 2005 vintage the palate is mouth-watering and inviting cascading with salivating just ripe white peach, pink grapefruit and ripe lime. This really is a compelling wine; fresh and refined with a firm minerality holding this wine together. This vintage is sure to be long lived with slightly higher apparent acids than the younger vintages. Excellent 97/109
2002 Pegasus Bay Riesling. In terms of appearance this wine looks only middle age. There are golden flashes but it certainly doesn’t look ready to retire. On the nose there certainly is a change. I wonder how much this has to do with the fact it is the only wine of the six tasted under cork? The nose is hard to describe actually. There are flashes of the guava like aroma I caught in the 2003, a raw sugar type note and poached peaches. On the palate there is notable concentration of flavour. Intense golden peach and nectarine flavours are surrounded by fine penetrating acids. The immense concentration and drive in this wine carry on to a tremendously long finish. It is opulent but fresh and very vinous while at the same time retaining some of the zaniness which is the cornerstone of this label. This vintage certainly has a reputation, I can see why. It will be long lived. It all feels very youthful. It is a striking wine just taking a notch up in power and presence over all the other vintages. 99/109 We had our dozen skilled tasters choose there top 3 wines. Awarded was: 3 points for each person’s favourite vintage Final Scores 1st Place 2002 Pegasus Bay Riesling 30 Points
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 02 February 2009 ) |
2007 Pegasus Bay Riesling. The youngest vintage has a green tinge to its appearance. The nose is highly aromatic with fresh cut pink grapefruit, mild citrus pith and meringue. The palate is softly structured, almost creamy with a gorgeous elegance. It has developed a notable seamlessness with white peach flavours predominating, and just a faint stone fruit stone edge. Finely boned, salivating ripe acids form a gentle structure; almost dainty. There is a touch of mild creamed honey on the finish which persists on with just the slightest crackling spritziness. This has developed into a stylish and classy wine much improved since release. Very impressive, I am surprised how good this is. 98/109
2003 Pegasus Bay Riesling. The 2003 is displaying a deepening colour. The nose has aromas of honeysuckle, guava, raw sugar and ripe golden peaches. The palate is slightly more subdued than the previous four vintages but further integrated. There are some gorgeous threads of acidity running through a tightly wound wine that includes shades of lemon curd and shards of passionfruit. Not quite as flamboyant as some vintages but no less exciting. A reserved and classy Pegasus Bay with endless interest. This is a real star. 96/109| < Prev | Next > |
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