Winery notes (2024 Vintage)
"With its bright golden hue, the bouquet is gorgeously fragrant and enticing, revealing a treasure trove of stone fruit, floral and citrus. White peach, apricot, honeysuckle and orange blossom, are melded with the refreshing zing of lemon curd and lime sherbet. The palate is wonderfully expressed, offering delightful sweetness, creamy texture and vivid acidity. This season has delivered a finely tuned rendition of Aria that is intense, yet finally poised, with a long, honeyed finish.
Aria is part of Pegasus Bay’s reserve series and is the sister wine to our Bel Canto dry riesling. Both are only made in exceptional years. After an extended hang time, the bunches were hand selected with a ripeness of approximately 28 Brix. The grapes were then gently pressed, and the juice fermented slowly at cool temperatures to help the wine retain its vibrant fruit characters and varietal purity. At all stages, from fermentation to bottling, it was handled very carefully to help retain a little of its naturally dissolved carbon dioxide. This has resulted in a small amount of spritzig, which adds extra liveliness to the wine and accentuates its freshness."
5 Stars & 96/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, March 2025 (2024 Vintage)
"This is immediately appealing on the nose with orange peel, grilled pineapple, Manuka Honey, and warm spice aromas, followed by a plush palate that's richly textured with delectable sweetness, wonderfully balanced by juicy acidity. Opulent with excellent harmony and structure, making it hugely appealing. At its best: now to 2038."
Rated Excellent & 94/100 Cameron Douglas MS, March 2025 (2024 Vintage)
"Taut, youthful, fresh and new, aromas of apple and lemon, ginger and lees. An off-dry expression with sweetness and acidity equal. Flavours of apples and lemons, apple tarte tatin and lime flower all flow into the palate. Taut and very new still so a wine that needs time to settle and develop properly in your cellar. Lovely length and potential with best drinking likely from late 2026 through 2036+."
5 Stars & 19+/20 (96) Candice Chow, Raymond Chan, March 2025 (2024 Vintage)
"Bright, even, pale yellow gold. The nose is elegant and fragrant, with aromas of stonefruit, citrus, frangipani, jasmine, honey and spice. Medium-bodied, sweet to taste, with aromas of apricot, ripe peach and mandarin entwined with honey, jasmine, frangipani and ginger. The flavour is detailed and vivid, complex yet elegant, with a creamy mouthfeel and impeccable tension and balance. This Riesling is engaging, expressive and refined. Match with pan-seared foie gras and cheese soufflé over the next 10+ years. Only made in exceptional years, hand selected, fermented cool to 12% alc, 92 g/l RS."