A mild spring followed by a hot summer and a warm, lingering autumn added up to make a perfect season for dessert wines. A portion of chardonnay, which was allowed to become fully botrytic late in the season, was carefully hand selected to make this wine.

The techniques used were those that are traditional of Sauternes. After harvest a small amount of juice was pressed from the already shrunken berries and then fermented in French oak barriques. Because of the high levels of natural sugars fermentation stopped while there was still residual sweetness in the wine. It was then left to age in barrel, eventually being blended to taste, and bottled 2 years after harvest.

It is a fully golden colour and redolent with wisps of honeycomb, peaches, apricots, vanilla, spice and toasted almonds. The wine is multi-layered, complex, luscious and concentrated, but has a backbone of natural acid to keep it balanced and prevent cloying. It gradually expands in the mouth becoming full and rich with a lingering ethereal after-taste.

Download Tasting Notes


2021

Noble Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
91/100
“ … Golden, sweet and rich yet with an intensity of bright aromatic fruit.  The sweetness fills the palate, providing a sense of volume, and despite its high level of residual sugar, it remains tidy on the finish.…”
- Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, USA
19+/20
“ … The mouthfeel is opulent; creamy, honey-like texture sustains powerful layers and structure This Noble Semillon Sauvignon is powerful and harmonious, opulently expressed with finesse and complexity….”
- Candice Chow, www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz
95/100
“… A sweet, full-bodied wine with delightful acidityWonderfully balanced, displaying great length and depth.”  
- James Suckling Wine Reviews, www.jamessuckling.com, USA

2019

Noble Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
95/100
“ … a stunning bouquet with intense, complex, savoury aromas A well-poised wine with plenty of enjoyment factor.”
- Stephen Bennett MW & Lynnette Hudson, NZ Wine Rater, NZ

93/100
“ … A midweight style that has rich, sweet fruit within its core … The finish retains a freshness that keeps this wine moving along despite its high levels of sweetness …”
- Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, USA

“ … this dangerously delicious dessert wine is all kinds of evil on the sweet sensation front … it’s lusciously refreshing Outstanding.
- Yvonne Lorkin, www.yvonnelorkin.com, NZ

19/20
“ … A luscious, honeyed sweet white that is full-bodied with amazing depth on concentration and a long zesty finish.
- Joelle Thomson, Drinksbiz magazine, NZ

A super-delicious offering an opulent palate displaying delectable sweetness brilliantly balanced by vibrant acidity. Richly textured and creamy, making it hugely appealing.”
- Sam Kim, www.wineorbit.co.nz, NZ

19+/20
“ … Full-bodied, luscious to taste, a captivative palate with multilayersThis excellently complex noble Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc blend has vivid layers and brilliant acid balance.”
- Candice Chow, www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, NZ

95/100
“Fantastic bouquet of preserved stone fruits, honey and honeysuckle, moments of elderflower and beeswax, exotic fruits and grapefruit … high acidity, plenty of sweetness, balanced, exotic, fresh and lengthy
- Cameron Douglas MS, www.camdouglasms.com, NZ

“Flavours that suggest a medley of dried fruits … A luscious, decadent dessert wine.
- Bob Campbell MW. The Real Review, NZ

96/100
“A fragrant nose, offering aromas of quince, apricot, candied lemon with cinnamon and floral undertones. Sweet, yet balanced, with bright acidity and elegant, zesty character. Vibrant and flavourful with a long, fresh finish. Fantastic sweet wine.”  
- James Suckling Wine Reviews, www.jamessuckling.com, USA

A wine with a real ‘Wow!’ factormouthfilling, with concentrated stone-fruit and honey flavours, … great richness and harmony"
- Michael Cooper, Michael Cooper Buyers Guide, NZ

2017

Noble Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
GOLD
“… Very powerful; concentrated and long; …  rich and layered.  Firm; powerful; …”
- The Six Nation Wine Challenge
96/100
“ … full and rich, deep and concentrated … A powerful and exotic wine ….”
- Huon Hooke, The Real Review, AUS
94/100
“ … palate is lusciously flavored and has a super rich, long and scintillatingly luxuriant texture. A great sweet wine. World class!
- Nick Stock, jamessuckling.com, USA
96/100
“ … Super rich and opulent … lavishly expressed with a lengthy delicious finish …”
- Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, wineorbit.co.nz, NZ
“ … it’s the most gum-numbingly gorgeous, luxuriously toffee-laced, manuka honey-drizzled, apricot jam-jammed thing I’ve tasted in a long, long time.  And it’s beyond perfect here.”
- Yvonne Lorkin, NZ Herald, NZ

2014

Noble Sauvignon Blanc
19.5/20
“ … this is powerful and intense, with great depth.  Very sweet and full-bodied, the palate has extremely rich and succulently opulent flavours … the mouthfeel is fulsome and unctuous … This is a powerful and opulent Noble Sauvignon Blanc …”
- Raymond Chan, raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, NZ
97/100
“ … Layers of dried fruits, spice and exotic tropical fruit flavours add dimension and complexity.  A pure and powerful wine …”
- Bob Campbell MW. bobcampbell.nz, NZ
OUTSTANDING
“ … Concentration on the fore here, oily, rich and mouth-filling with powerfully intense flavours of spices and marmalade that linger endlessly … long and intense finish.  Compelling stuff”
- Mark Henderson, Otago Daily Times, NZ
“ … lovely limey acid spine that keeps the palate fresh and juicy.  Great length
- Winestate magazine, AUS
94/100
“ … deep apricot and kumquat-marmalade core with long, stylish balance.”
- Nick Stock, jamessuckling.COM, USA

2011

Noble Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
94/100
“... very distinctive and packed with energy. On the palate - fantastic! Delicious, honeyed, oozing flavour and texture with huge sweetness equaled by acidity and richness”  .
- Cameron Douglas MS, camerondouglasms.blogspot.co.nz, NZ
19.5/20
“Deep golden yellow colour with orange hues and lighter green-gold tints on the edge.  The bouquet is full, bold and solidly concentrated with rich and ripe aromas … This is a very rich, complex-layered decadent dessert wine 
- Raymond Chan, raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, NZ
“...notable complexity on the nose and palate. …substantial body, with super-rich peach and apricot flavours, an oily texture and a lush, raisiny, superbly sustained finish.  A wine to ponder over.” 
- Winestate Magazine, AUS

2011

Noble Semillon
" . . . deep gold, very sturdy, Sauternes-style wine. Lush and very sweet, with notably concentrated, peachy, honeyed flavours, and hints of apricots and raisins, . . . . hard to resist.
- Michael Cooper, Buyers Guide, NZ

2010

"….offers a pretty straw to light golden colour and aromas of preserved lemons, musk and pineapple pastry with a touch of dried herbs. Fully sweet and luscious in the mouth, it has a lovely satiny texture and plenty of expressive, somewhat earthy flavours marked by crisp acid and finishing long. Drink this one now to 2019+.
- Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, USA
"Powerful, ripe citrus fruit, honey and nutty oak elements fill the palate providing great depth and texture."
- Raymond Chan, raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, NZ
"Densely packed, complex aromas of ripe yellow stonefruits … full-bodied and concentrated, this has layers of flavour that emerge in the glass. Powerful, ripe citrus fruit, honey and nutty oak elements fill the palate providing great depth and texture …. the wine finishing stylishly and with lingering waxy and nutty nuances … This is a concentrated Sauternes-style dessert wine with an array of flavours that will become more complex over the next 6- 8 years."
- Michael Cooper, Buyers Guide 2012, NZ
"Bright gold in colour, oozing toasted nuts, citrus, grapefruit and spices, with a hint of creamy caramel, intense, textural and complex.”
- Charmian Smith, Otago Daily Times, NZ 
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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