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Overview
A special 10-year Aged Release from one of New Zealand's most respected Pinot Noir producers. The 2016 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir has been carefully cellared by the Donaldson family to showcase the complexity and refinement that develop with extended bottle ageing. From a particularly favourable vintage in Waipara Valley, this mature Pinot Noir combines dark fruit, forest floor, wild mushrooms and savoury nuances with beautifully integrated tannins and refreshing minerality. An exceptional opportunity to experience a fully developed expression of North Canterbury Pinot Noir, with further cellaring potential.
Vintage
The 2016 growing season began with warm, settled conditions during flowering, producing a generous initial fruit set. Careful fruit thinning brought yields back into balance, while an excellent summer and warm, dry autumn allowed the grapes to achieve outstanding flavour development and physiological ripeness.
Vineyard
Pegasus Bay's estate vineyard occupies free-draining, north-facing terraces in Waipara Valley, North Canterbury. Sheltered from cool Pacific easterlies by the Teviotdale Range, the vineyard enjoys a distinctive mesoclimate of warm days and exceptionally cool nights, extending the ripening season while preserving natural acidity.
The vines, many planted on their own roots, grow in the ancient Glasnevin Gravels, a mixture of greywacke stones, silt and loam deposited over millennia. These low-fertility soils naturally restrict vigour and encourage the development of concentrated, expressive fruit.
Winemaking
Traditional Burgundian techniques were employed, with individual vineyard blocks harvested at different stages of maturity to achieve a spectrum of red and dark fruit characters. Approximately one-third of the grapes were fermented as whole bunches, with the remainder destemmed and layered above, retaining a high proportion of whole berries.
Following a cool pre-fermentation maceration, fermentation began naturally with indigenous yeasts. The grape skins were gently plunged twice daily, followed by up to a week of post-fermentation maceration to enhance structure and complexity.
The wine was gently pressed into oak barriques from selected Burgundian coopers, including 40% new oak. Natural malolactic fermentation occurred during the following summer. After 18 months of maturation, individual parcels were carefully blended before bottling and extended cellar ageing.
Aged Release Program
Pegasus Bay established its Aged Release program in 2006, setting aside selected quantities of Pinot Noir and Riesling for release approximately ten years later. The initiative allows wine lovers to experience these wines at an advanced stage of maturity, revealing the additional complexity, texture and savoury character developed through careful bottle ageing.
The 2016 Pinot Noir represents this philosophy, offering mature elegance while retaining freshness, structure and the potential for further development.
Producer Tasting Notes
It has an ageing plum core, thinning to scarlet at the edges. Aromas of red and dark fruit soon ebb to reveal notes of forest undergrowth, wild mushrooms, black olive tapenade and grilled game. The palate is satisfyingly concentrated with fine grained developed tannins, however there is a refreshing minerality which ensures the wine remains tight and focused, with a lasting finish.
Extended maturation in bottle has given this wine an underlying sense of development that shines a light on the rewards of cellaring.
Critic Reviews
96/100 — James Suckling
“Layered, focused and well crafted, with plenty of volume.”
Tasted March 2026
96/100 — Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
“Wonderfully maturing with complexity, showing dark berry, cured meat, cake spice, warm mushroom, and toasted almond characters on the nose.”
Tasted March 2026
95/100 — Cameron Douglas MS
“A completely delicious wine.”
Tasted March 2026
94/100 — The Wine Front
Tasted September 2018
93/100 — Decanter
Tasted October 2019
Producer
Pegasus Bay is a family-owned winery established in 1986 by Ivan and Christine Donaldson in Waipara Valley, North Canterbury. Ivan Donaldson was among the pioneers of modern Canterbury viticulture, having planted one of the region's earliest vineyards in 1976.
Today, the second generation of the Donaldson family continues to manage the estate, which is recognised for its distinctive cool-climate wines, traditional winemaking practices and commitment to extended maturation. Pinot Noir and Riesling are particularly celebrated for their concentration, complexity and ability to age gracefully.
Specifications
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Vintage: 2016
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Producer: Pegasus Bay Winery
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Release: Aged Release
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Country: New Zealand
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Region: Canterbury
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Subregion: North Canterbury, Waipara Valley
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Grape Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
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Wine Style: Still Red Wine
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Sweetness: Dry
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Wine Body: Medium
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Alcohol: 13.5%
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Soil: Glasnevin Gravels – Greywacke, Silt and Loam
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Whole Bunch: Approximately One-Third
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Fermentation: Indigenous Wild Yeast
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Extraction: Gentle Hand Plunging and Post-Fermentation Maceration
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Maturation: 18 Months in Oak Barriques
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New Oak: 40%
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Malolactic Fermentation: Natural
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Drinking Window: Now–2034 (Cameron Douglas MS)
