Pegasus Bay 2002 Aria Late Picked Riesling.This is the one you have been waiting for. The Pegasus Bay Aria Late Picked Riesling 2002  was indeed picked late.It was harvested it in a number of separate passes through the vineyard, each time taking only the most perfectly ripened berries and leaving the remainder to concentrate further, so they would be selected on a subsequent occasion.

The final and largest selection was done during the week of the shortest day, well after the vines had lost all their leaves. You can’t get much later than that! By that stage the grapes had shrivelled so that they had lost between 30-50% of their volume, without developing botrytis.

What a fantastic season! It has allowed Peagasus Bay Aria Late Picked Riesling to make a wine that is pure essence of riesling, concentrated, luscious and delicious, but with perfect acidity to keep it balanced and prevent it from cloying. This wine was selected as the top sweet wine of Australia, South Africa and New Zealand in the Tri Nations taste-off in Sydney. Pegasus Bay Aria Late Picked Riesling is  very special wine. Pronounced nose of Turkish delight, orange zest and char-grilled pineapple with honey, butter and apricot contributing to an intensely concentrated palate.

Pegasus Bay Finale Noble Chardonnay 1997 recieved warm spring and got the vines away to a good start with early bud burst. The amount of crop which set in the early summer, however, was quite modest. The subsequent summer was not as hot as some, a factor that favoured flavour development in white wines.

The smallish crop on the vine helped good ripening and this was aided by an Indian summer with a run of warm dry days. Part of the Chardonnay crop started to get botrytis. We decided not to fight it and left it to become noble.

The grapes were hand selected, and whole bunch pressed. The first selection were pressed at 32 Brix and the second at 40 Brix. The juice was barrel fermented in brand new French oak. The fermentation was extended for as long as possible to reduce the sweetness and increase the alcohol to 14% giving a good balance and a clean warm finish which is not cloying.

Finale was made in a sauternes style but with Chardonnay grapes. Intense dried fruit flavour with honey, beeswax, nuts, vanilla and chocolate. The palate is luscious upfront with intense citrus flavours extending to a long dry and toastie finish. This wine is the perfect accompaniment to cheeseboards.

The oak ageing and clean dry finish will allow this wine to develop in the bottle for up to 5 to 6 years.

Pegasus Bay Finale Noble Chardonnay 2000 is made only in special years. This wine was made from a small parcel of Mendoza chardonnay which was left on the vine late in the season to become botrytic. The fermentation of the small amount of concentrated juice was carried out in French oak barriques and stopped spontaneously leaving residual sweetness, due to the high levels of natural grape sugars. Aging was carried out in these barriques for 2.5 years before bottling.

It has a lovely golden hue and heady aroma, reminiscent of honey, beeswax and scorched almonds. These intertwine on the palate with impressions of peaches, dried apricots and toasted macaroons. It is mouth-filling, rich and sweet, but has retained enough acidity to provide it with perfect balance. There is flavour length on the palate with a complex after-taste, which lingers well after swallowing. Careful cellaring will bring out additional fascinating nuances.