2024 Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Waipara

It's fabulously lifted on the nose. The wonderfully weighted palate displays excellent focus and drive, beautifully supported by vibrant acidity, finishing long and flavoursome.

94 points Sam Kim for Wine Orbit

Intense wine with struck flint/saline character and taut, savoury flavours. Pure and powerful wine with a distinctive, individual and recognisable personality.

93 points Bob Campbell for Independent Wine Reviewer

A hint of flint gives way to inviting aromas of blackcurrant bush, bay leaf, woodsmoke and nutmeg. The palate is concentrated, bursting with fruit and generously flavoursome through to the dry, grainy finish where a touch of oak spice emerges. Tightly defined by crisp acidity and the wood tannins, it has a firm drive and structure which will allow it to develop more savoury layers in the coming years. Drink to 2029.

93 points Stephen Wong for The Real Review, October 2025

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.

2024 season started with cool and windy conditions that lowered crop levels, but a warm and settled summer and long autumn allowed for optimally matured fruit. Sauvignon Blanc was picked over an extended period to capture a full spectrum of aromas and flavours. After gentle pressing, the free run juice was fermented in stainless steel at a cool temperature. A selection of the fruit was fermented using whole bunches and matured seven months on skins for added complexity. A small portion of barrel aged Semillon was added for extra richness and texture. Both varieties were aged on lees for a total of 10 months prior to blending.

Intensely aromatic, the nose is flinty with spicy blackcurrant and bay leaf aromas. The savoury, richly fruited palate has weight and drive, with oak spice on the long finish. A powerful wine with a distinctive personality, as we’ve come to expect from Pegasus Bay, with capacity for further bottle ageing.

A decadent wine deserves its match on the plate. Go all the way with Pan-Seared Murray cod with a ginger-lemongrass beurre blanc or wood-fired suckling pig with apricot and mustard seed compote.