Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Pinot Noir 2016 $54
As soon as this niceness from North Canterbury nibbles its way up your nostrils, you’ll need to grab hold of a piece of solid furniture to ensure you remain upright enough to put it in your mouth safely. The wobble factor is a result of the exotically perfumed aroma spectrum saturated with rosehip tea, red rose, charcuterie and wild red fruits like pomegranate, redcurrant and cherry. On the palate it’s slippery, silky and succulent to sip. There’s method in the 1/3 whole bunch ferment, extended cold-soak period, long, gentle, wild-yeast fermentation and an 18month maturation in 40% new French oak barrels madness of this smorgasbord of clones from multiple sites. It’s headscratchingly delicious in every single way. The fruit, the spices, the smoky oak, the powerful yet powdery tannins and the marathon-like length of flavour. Outstanding.
