Pegasus Bay have an illustrious history with Riesling and would have to be considered as one of New Zealand's very top Riesling producers and many peoples favourite. From vines that are now over 30 years old, Bel Canto is Pegasus Bay's 'dry Riesling' and although technically dry at only 5 grams per litre of residual sugar it offers a wonderfully rich, complex and luscious palate.
Winery notes (2022 Vintage)
"It has a bright gold tint upon release. A vibrant amalgam of sweet and sour aromas gush from the glass, pineapple, mango, and orange blossom in the attack, accompanied by suggestions of quince, kumquat, calamansi, and a lick of wet river gravel. The mouthfeel is generous, yet precise, with a rich, textured palate, supported by a cheeky whip of acidity and ripe phenolics that create structure and length, funnelling towards a long, moreish close.
With its large diurnal range and long lingering autumns, North Canterbury is an ideal playground for Riesling, and Bel Canto is a perfect example of this. This wine is part of our reserve series, which we only make in exceptional years that are favourable for the development of noble botrytis. After an extended hang time, the bunches were hand selected with a portion of botrytis and a ripeness of approximately 25.5 Brix. The free run juice was then fermented slowly at cool temperatures to help the wine retain its vibrant fruit characters and varietal purity. Alcoholic fermentation was left to continue until dryness was achieved. At all stages, the wine was handled very carefully to help retain a little of its natural carbon dioxide. This has resulted in a small amount of spritzig, which adds extra liveliness to the wine and accentuates its freshness."
Rated Excellent & 93+/100 Cameron Douglas MS, March 2023 (2023 Vintage)
"Very youthful, vibrant and pristine bouquet with its signature of honeysuckle and complexity from later picked fruit, lemon and white peach, apple and a layer of quince. Delicious on the palate finishing dry driven by a backbone of acidity and mouthfeel, and flavours of citrus and white fleshed orchard fruits before the honeysuckle and late pick characters fold back in. A wine that will age well and deliver exceptional value in years to come."
Reviews for the 2022 vintage below…
5 Stars & 96/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, December 2023 (2022 Vintage)
"Gorgeously rich yet with structure and harmony, the wine shows grilled stone fruit, grapefruit, orange peel and warm spice aromas, leading to a wonderfully flavoursome palate offering terrific weight and depth. It's richly textured with beautifully pitched acidity, finishing expansive and persistent."
94/100 Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, July 2023 (2022 Vintage)
"Alsace-style riesling with apricot, lime, orange blossom, apple and oyster shell flavours. The wine is dry but not austere. It has energy and impressive complexity. Good drinking now but with the potential to develop well with bottle age."
5 Stars & 18.5/20 (93) Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, August 2023 (2022 Vintage)
"Bright, pale yellow, even colour throughout. The nose is full and complex, with aromas of gunflint over laying citrus, orchard fruit and crunchy minerals. Medium-full bodied, aromas of lime, green apple and mandarine form a taut core, unfolding beeswax, crushed rocks and smoky gunflint. Acid tension carries apple-skin-like phenolics and citrus zest along a light waxy mouthfeel. This Dry Riesling shows focus and linearity, accompanied by complex flavours and a textural mouthfeel. Match with smoked fish and pork hock terrine over the next 6+ years. Only produced in exceptional vintages, hand selected with a portion of botrytised grapes, fermented cool to 14% alc, 5.3 g/l RS."
4 ½ Stars Michael Cooper, October 2023 (2022 Vintage)
"Bel Canto means 'Beautiful Singing'. Based on the estate's mature, ungrafted vines at Waipara, in North Canterbury, the 2022 vintage was 'hand-selected with a portion of botrytis'. Bright, light lemon/green, it is mouthfilling, with strong, peachy, vaguely honeyed flavours, firm acid spine and a dryish (5 grams/litre of residual sugar), tightly structured finish. A distinctive wine, it's crying out for cellaring; open mid-2025+."