2023 Pegasus Bay Merlot Cabernet, Waipara

A cooler-climate nose with fruitcake aromas, cherry, licorice and sweet basil unfolds on the palate with notable weight and body, moving from black cherry to blackberry flavours wrapped in sweet mint tea and cocoa. Firm tannins and creamy oak work to provide structure and balance the acidity. Smoke and black olive complexity settles into the back while the grippy tannins and spicy oak currently dominate the finish. This needs another year or two to smooth out. Drink to 2035.

91 points Stephen Wong for The Real Review, January 2026

The 2023 of this wine is predominately Merlot, with the balance Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and a small amount of Cabernet Franc. From a cooler season, this would pair well with clean-cut flavours and dry textures. Try with Spanish-style roast duck with green olives and rosemary, or pappardelle dressed in a wild mushroom ragu with walnuts and thyme.

More about this wine

The fruit was picked over several weeks in April, with fermentation taking place in stainless steel vats. Regularly pumped over, the fermented wines was pressed into French oak barriques of which 20% were new. The wine matured 18 months in the barrels, after which the batches were blended after sensory evaluation to achieve a balanced claret-like style.

About this producer

Planted from 1985 onwards, the Pegasus Bay vineyard sits in Waipara Valley, a 45-minute drive north of Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island. It enjoys protection from the Pacific’s easterly breezes, a prolonged ripening period with substantial diurnal temperature variations. The alluvial Glasnevin gravel soils here are free draining and low in fertility, resulting in naturally reduced vine vigour.

The Donaldson family, viticultural pioneers in the region, remain the owner-operators of Pegasus Bay. Minimal intervention at all stages from vine to bottle typifies the winemaking approach: sustainable viticultural management, low crop levels, minimal handling of fruit, natural malolactic fermentation and clarification by settling, without the use of fining agents. All wines are made from estate grown fruit.