2019 Pegasus Bay Chardonnay, Waipara

There’s no mistaking the power and intensity of this wine, before I even begin to take in the aromas - the scents of oak spice, lees and toasted yellow stone fruit invade the senses. Roasted cashew nut and baking spices, peach and nectarine, roasted apple and grapefruit peel. There’s also a baked custard and hard clay earthy quality. Bold and proud bouquet overall. Full-bodied, oaky and fruity with flavours that mirror the bouquet from stone fruits to citrus, barrel to earth. Youthful with some fruit and wood tannins, a decent acid line and persistent lengthy finish.

95 points Cameron Douglas MS camdouglasms.com

From ungrafted 30+ year-old vines and a very favourable vintage. Smooth-textured chardonnay with white peach, lemon curd, grapefruit and spicy oak flavours. Appealing purity and power. A sophisticated and complex wine. 17 MAR 2022 Drink 2022–2027

95 points Bob Campbell MW therealreview.com

The colour is lemon/straw. On the nose there are aromas of citrus, as well as honeydew melon and some stone fruit (peach and nectarine). In addition there is a hint of struck match which adds complexity and a flinty minerality. There are also some underlying savoury notes (toast and brioche) as a result of the secondary fermentation and lees contact in the barrel. The palate is concentrated, however the earlier picking has resulted in a wine that remains elegant and focussed, with refreshing acidity and a lingering finish.