The spring and early summer were warm and so exceptionally dry that we felt the vines might suffer from the effects of drought. In February we had the unexpected; a torrential downpour set the dry streams gurgling merrily and totally replenished the ground water reserves. Late in autumn we had humid conditions which led to some botrytis developing in riesling.  Many producers picked early to minimise the effect of this but fortunately we braved it out until the weather cleared and the patches of botrytis became beautifully shrivelled and noble.

After picking, the fruit was gently pressed and left to settle. The clear portion of the juice was then slowly fermented at a cool temperature in stainless steel to ensure it retained varietal purity and the additional exotic aromas and flavours provided by botrytis. The wine was handled very gently to allow it to retain some of the natural carbon dioxide from the fermentation to give it a touch of spritzig.

We picked only beautifully ripened bunches in which at least one third of the berries had been shrivelled to raisins by noble botrytis and when these arrived at the winery they were further hand selected so that only the most perfect were retained.

The fruit was then gently pressed and it was necessary to do this very slowly in order to extract the small amount of juice from these shrivelled berries. This was allowed to settle naturally and the clarified portion was fermented very slowly at cool temperatures to help retain its vibrant aromas and flavours. It was bottled soon after the fermentation. In doing this we were careful to handle the wine very gently in order to retain some of its natural carbon dioxide to give the wine a little spritzig.

The wine shows ripe stone fruit characters suggestive of yellow fleshed peaches and apricots intertwined with hints of lychees, loquats and fresh figs. Honeysuckle and comb honey characters come from the botrytis.  Underneath there are citrus impressions of lemons, limes and mandarins, which are supported by a core of tingling acidity and minerality, drawing out the length and acting as a perfect foil to its luscious sweetness.

Careful cellaring should result in a range of additional fascinating nuances. While ready to drink on release it should continue to improve over the next 5–7 years and live 15 years or more.

Download Tasting Notes


2023

92/100

The 2023 Riesling Aria Late Picked is a sweet, fragrant Riesling … a juicy style … A gentle spritz and mouthwatering refreshment imbue the wine with a lovely, lively character …”

- Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous
92/100
A dense and sweet riesling with plenty of flint ..."
- James Suckling Wine Reviews, www.jamessuckling.com, USA
19/20
“… This late-picked Riesling is packed with succulent fruit and floral details, built on layers and length….” 
- Candice Chow, www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, NZ
96/100

“… It's so, so pretty, so complex and very long through the finish. A superb wine …”

- Erin Larkin, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, www.robertparker.com, USA

2022

94/100
“… Full-bodied and sweet with dried apricot and candied lemons that follow through to a sweet finish of Turkish delight” 
- James Suckling Wine Reviews, www.jamessuckling.com, USA
97/100
“… The palate delivers outstanding weight and richness, wonderfully complemented by lush texture and gorgeous sweetness. Brilliantly balanced by vibrant acidity, it’s deliciously satisfying and hugely appealing” 
- Sam Kim, www.wineorbit.co.nz, NZ
94/100
“…  A complete wine with a lengthy delicious finish ….”
- Cameron Douglas MS, camdouglasms.com, NZ
18.5/20
North Canterbury’s Glasnevin Gravels are an ideal spot for Riesling grapes to develop great depths of citrusy concentration over the long dry autumns Aria is an outstanding sweet wine …”  
- Joelle Thomson, Drinksbiz, NZ
“… A lovely mouthful  A wine of strong presence, it is medium-bodied and concentrated …”
- Michael Cooper, www.michaelcooperwines.com, NZ
18.5+/20
“… lemon, apricot in syrup, honey, honeysuckle and flint. The flavours are fresh, youthful, and dancing on the palate, reflecting invigorating acidity balancing with sweetness ….” 
- Candice Chow, www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, NZ

2020

94/100
“Fabulous aromas … A delicious wine, perfect as an aperitif and some less sweeter dessert .”
- Cameron Douglas MS, camdouglasms.com, NZ
94/100
Gorgeous perfumed nose with aromas of lemon, grapefruit, magnolia and struck match/gunflint sulphide complexity… lively, invigorating, fruity-style with good drive and phenolics to balance the sweetness.
- New Zealand Wine Rater, Stephen Bennett MW & Lynnette Hudson, NZ
95/100

“… A luscious dessert wine … Sweetness is perfectly balanced by crisp acidity … ”

- Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, NZ
96/100

Luscious and sumptuous … richly textured palate that’s dazzling and delectable. Gorgeously sweet with excellent balance and harmony, offering terrific drinking”

- Sam Kim, www.wineorbit.co.nz, NZ
92/100
“The seductive and shapely 2020 Riesling Aria Late Picked may have generous sweetness (70g/L) but a prickle of retained CO2 combined with the naturally vibrant acidity of Riesling and lightly phenolic character provide the structured framework for this wine to remain focused and clean…. It's excellently balanced …” 
- Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, USA
19+/20
“… This harmonious late-picked Riesling with luscious fruit, honey and spice shine with vibrant acidity, complexity and a moreish, long finish.” 
- Candice Chow, www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, NZ
93/100
“… Full-bodied and sweet, yet fresh, with sharp acidity and bright, zesty character. Excellent balance” 
- James Suckling Wine Reviews, www.jamessuckling.com, USA

2018

94/100
Decadently luscious Riesling"
- Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, AUS & NZ
18.5/20
This is one of New Zealand’s great white wines each year… It’s a stunning balance between luscious, textual richness and the refreshing delicious succulence provided by the acidity.”  
- Joelle Thomson, Drinksbiz, NZ
94/100
“… A luscious, opulent, viscous, full-bodied botrytis style with enough acid to balance the richness. Well done.”
- New Zealand Wine Rater, Stephen Bennett MW & Lynnette Hudson, NZ
19.5/20
“… The wine is refreshing and uncloying, supported by mouthwatering acidity, carry this flavoursome nectar through the palate with ease … refreshing palate with the usual complexity” 
- Candice Chow, www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, NZ
96/100
Offering opulence as well as sophistication … delicious sweetness and refreshing acidity”
- Sam Kim – Wine Writer, www.wineorbit.co.nz, NZ
“… notable depth and harmony. It should be long-lived, but is already a lovely mouthful.
- Michael Cooper, Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, NZ

2016

93/100
“Off-dry and very impressive … The palate has immensely fleshy appeal and a neat resolve and balance”
- Nick Stock, jamessuckling.com, USA
95/100
“Pure, fresh, fruity and alluring bouquet … Long and delicious finish.  A lovely wine ….”
- Cameron Douglas MS, camerondouglasms.com, NZ
93/100
“   stunning delicious wine … bright and mouthwatering … lingering finish”
- Joe Czerwinski, Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, USA
95/100
Luscious Riesling … a delicious wine …”
- Bob Campbell MW, bobcampbell.nz, NZ
19/20
“  one of New Zealand’s most seductively succulent Rieslings. … full body and powerful lingering finish”
- Joelle Thomson, joellethomson.com, NZ

2014

92/100
“Offering up pronounced notes of lemon marmalade, acacia honey… offers a fair bit off rich, unctuous sweetness. Marked by a racy acid backbone, which cuts through the appealing viscosity …, the refreshing finish goes on and on.”
- Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, eRobertParker.com, USA
93/100
“Bold and rich scents of honey, syrup, sweet citrus, apple tart tatin and poached orchard fruits. On the palate - lush and juicy with significant acidity and weight …. A delicious wine!“ 
- Cameron Douglas MS, camerondouglasms.blogspot.co.nz, NZ
“... It’s cleansing yet indulgent at the same time. Gorgeous stuff.“ 
- Yvonne Lorkin, yvonnelorkin.com, NZ
Excellent to outstanding
“…A sweet, powerful and intense wine … layers of flavour: textural and richly creamy: sweetness yet with zingy acidity keeping it fresh.  Delicious.
- Mark Henderson, Otago Daily Times, NZ
19/20
“…. excellent acidity and tension to match the unctuousness, … carries with brightness and energy to a very long moderately sweet and luscious finish ….  This is a beautifully elegant and harmoniously entwined late-pick Riesling” 
- Raymond Chan, raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, NZ

2013

95/100
“. . Exotic fruits and spices offer a delicious package of flavours. Full-flavoured wine with a smooth texture and lingering finish. Very classy sticky . “
- Bob Campbell MW, bobcampbell.nz, NZ
18.5/20
This has an elegant, fresh and tightly bound nose with excellent presence and depth of exotic floral fragrances and lime fruit aromas intermixed with wild honey and marmalade botrytis. The integrity of the fruit shows in floral and lime clarity and the detail of nuance is beautiful….The fruit is underlined by subtle phenolic textures that emerge to balance the richness and lusciousness. This has great weight, depth and presence, with lively acidity providing the palate energy and drive. The wine flows positively to a full blossoming, sustained finish with florals, honey and musk notes.This is a beautifully fragrant and exotic sweet Riesling with a rich, finely textured palate of great presence and line.
- Raymond Chan, raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, NZ

2012

94/100
Made from a selection of bunches with shrivelled berries for greater concentration. A delicious vintage for Aria with tree fruit and bush honey flavours. Moderately sweet Riesling but not so sweet that it can’t be enjoyed as a delicious aperitif. A successful vintage for an iconic New Zealand dessert wine style.
- Bob Campbell MW, bobcampbellwinereviews.com, NZ
94/100
"The cool 2012 season has given this sweet and rich Riesling precision and drive. It has dense concentration of fruit suggesting low yields in the vineyard….. While sweet, it is clean and precise, and would suit spicy food although I'm happy to drink glass after glass of it without any accompaniment.
- Rebecca Gibb, rebeccagibb.com, NZ 
19/20
This is a beautifully elegant and refined sweet Riesling with a balance between decadence and freshness.
-Raymond Chan, raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, NZ

2009

92/100 Points
“wonderfully honeyed/musky character on the nose … rich and generously fruited in the mouth, it has a good backbone of refreshing acidity and a very long finish.”
—Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, USA
“A very classy wine … It should flourish for many years.”
—Michael Cooper's Buyer’s Guide 2012, NZ
95/100 Points
“It’s stunning on the nose … the palate is concentrated and generous with rich texture and lovely sweetness which is superbly balanced by the refreshing acidity.”
—Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, NZ

2008

“Peach, honey and mandarines with a mineral delicacy. Lovely freshness on the finish balanced by residual sugar. Delicious.”
—Rebecca Gibb, Decanter, UK
“Stunning – THE wine of the tasting and a sure fire GOLD in any tasting it enters. The flavours just go on and on and the mouthfeel is oily and opulent. You MUST try this.”
—TizWine.com, NZ
“Just one of the many strings in the bow of top-notch New Zealand producer Pegasus Bay, this is a wonderfully refreshing yet intensely sweet wine. Immediately identifiable as Riesling, it has a lemony, zesty freshness and superb balance. It’s hard to imagine anyone not loving this wine.”
—Beverley Blanning MW, Sommelier Journal, US
“… is a classy, very elegant Waipara wine, … fresh, pure, late harvest fruit flavours, showing excellent richness. Finely focused, with a luscious sweetness … coupled with mouth-watering acidity, it’s a beauty.”
—Michael Cooper, Winestate, AUS

2007

17.5/20 Points
“Deep lemon with lots of evolution on the nose. Honeyed wine with lots of acidity and lots of sugar - probably very difficult to make and much more complex and ambitious than most. Bravo! A real product of the vineyard. Very zesty. Hovers between medium dry and medium sweet”
—Jancis Robinson, UK
“…This wine underscores the multi-talented nature of Riesling. Poised, balanced and far from sugar dominated…”
—Cuisine Magazine, NZ
97/100 Points
“Pegasus Bay, in the Waipara region near Christchurch, makes some of New Zealand's most exotic wines. This magnificent sweet wine, perfumed beautifully and beguiling. Pristine fruit flavours and perfect balance in the mouth.”
—Huon Hooke, Sydney Morning Herald, Good Living, AUS
“The 2007 Vintage is an elegant, slightly honeyed Waipara wine with lovely ripeness and richness...great harmony.”
—Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, 2009, NZ
—WineState Magazine, AUS
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Pegasus Bay

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Off Licence.
Licence Holder:Donaldson Family Limited T/A:Pegasus Bay Winery.
Licence no:57/OFF/458/2022 Exp:16/3/2025