White Wine Pegasus Bay Chardonnay 2018. Serve well chilled. Rich golden in colour, this Chardonnay displays a nose that has citrus, melon, pineapple and yellow fruit. There are also hints of liquorice, smoke and even roasted meat. On the palate, the powerful, complex wine explodes with ripe fruit, great acidity and a creaminess that gives a full mouth richness that coats your mouth with an unctuous, full bodied feel. The finish is long, lingering, complex and absolutely delicious! Hints of minerality linger long after the last taste. Fantastic on it’s own but also great with chicken, pasta, fish and seafood. Pegasus Bay Winery prides itself on producing the highest quality fruit with minimal intervention that expresses the terroir and results in stunning wines. Sustainable vineyard management techniques are used including low crop levels and minimal handling of fruit throughout the process. Gentle pressings, malolactic fermentation from indigenous yeast and clarifying the wine by settling all go into to producing top quality, very interesting wines. This Chardonnay is made in traditional Burgundy style. Fruit is hand harvested at optimal ripeness. After gentle pressing the juice is placed in large oak barrels where fermentation takes place. Following fermentation, a secondary malolactic fermentation takes place and the wine is matured for 12 months, followed by a further 6 months in stainless steel.
2018
White Wine Pegasus Bay Chardonnay 2018
White Wine Fasoli Gino Soave Pieve Vecchia 2018. Crafted from 100% Garganega grapes which have been grown on limestone and sandy soils according to organic and biodynamic agricultural practices , this is a crisp and dry Soave which exudes uplifting aromas of lemon zest, delicate almond blossom and camomile. The first sip reveals a bright acidity, medium body and concentrated white peach, citrus and pastry flavours which linger long on the tongue. To create this characterful white the Fasoli Gino winery performs three passes through the vineyard at harvest time to ensure the finished wine is perfectly balanced. The first pass selects grapes that are fresh, the second selects perfectly ripe grapes and the third pass brings in grapes that are harvested late and have plenty of intense flavours and higher sugar levels. The wine is then fermented in stainless steel tanks and matured in large wooden casks for up to 15 months with the lees or dead yeast. This helps to showcase the fresh fruit character of the grape as well as giving a well-rounded, creamy texture. The result is a fascinating expression of the indigenous Garganega grape variety that is perfect served alongside shellfish, creamy seafood risottos or even asparagus.
2018
White Wine Querciabella Batar 2018. Batar is considered one of Italy’s finest white wines with famous wine critic Jancis Robinson even describing it as reminiscent of a particularly successful Corton-Charlemagne”. Yet despite the comparison to the very best white Burgundies, Batar is unmistakably Tuscan at heart with a distinctive minerality and elegance courtesy of Querciabella’s high altitude Ruffoli vineyards. The cuvee is composed of Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco fruit which is grown organically and biodynamically, and selected by hand to ensure only perfect grapes are used for Batar. Once in the winery the fruit is pressed and fermented in French oak barrels with nine months of ageing before bottling. In a typical year just 15,000 bottles of this iconic wine are produced, most of which are quickly snapped up by collectors and wine lovers across the globe. Acacia flowers, chamomile, smoked almonds and delicate ripe peach notes dominate on the nose, while the palate offers a silky smooth texture, well-rounded mouthfeel, and balancing freshness on the long finish. Batar’s complexity and intensity means it can easily be cellared for at least another decade following the vintage, or enjoyed now alongside truffle-based pasta dishes, herby roast chicken, or roasted root vegetables.
2018