Pegasus Bay Prima Donna Pinot Noir 2015

Pegasus BayWaipara Valley, New Zealand

Pegasus Bay Prime Donna Pinot Noir 2015

£91.9575cl

Why you'll love it

Flagship Pinot from one of New Zealand's top producers. Only made in exceptional years from old vines – complex, elegant and built to age.

  • Free Jersey delivery over £50
  • Click & collect in St Helier
  • CountryNew Zealand
  • RegionWaipara Valley
  • GrapePinot Noir
  • StyleMedium
  • Vintage2015
  • Alcohol13.5%

What it tastes like

Wild strawberry, raspberry and pomegranate with savoury notes of game, olive tapenade and a touch of spice. Silky texture, fine tannins and fresh acidity.

Light Full

Lovely with

  • Roast chickenSunday roast · Herb-stuffed thighs
  • DuckPan-roast breast · Confit · Peking duck
  • LambRoast leg · Rack of lamb · Slow shoulder
  • MushroomsWild mushroom risotto · On toast
  • PorkPork belly · Chops · Slow-roast shoulder
  • RisottoMushroom · Seafood · Spring vegetable
  • PoultryChristmas turkey · Guinea fowl · Poussin

Perfect with duck, game birds, mushroom risotto or truffle-infused cheese. A food wine with depth and finesse.

The grape

Pinot Noir

Best known in Burgundy, Oregon, New Zealand

The great red grape of Burgundy. Cherry, raspberry, earthy and floral notes, with silky tannins and fresh acidity. Notoriously hard to grow well, but capable of extraordinary elegance, and a key grape in Champagne and English sparkling wine.

Where it's from

Waipara Valley

New Zealand

North Canterbury, on New Zealand's South Island, a short drive north of Christchurch. Limestone-rich soils, warm dry days and cool nights suit Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay. The wines combine ripe fruit with bright acidity and a mineral edge. A smaller, characterful alternative to Marlborough.

Waipara Valley

Meet the producer

Pegasus Bay

Waipara Valley, New Zealand

Pegasus Bay is a family-owned estate in the Waipara Valley, run by the Donaldson family, pioneers in North Canterbury winemaking. Pinot Noir follows traditional Burgundian methods. Love Wine stocks several vintages, plus Riesling including a late-picked style.

More from Pegasus Bay →

The story behind it

Family-owned estate in Waipara Valley. Old vines on glacial soils, whole-bunch fermentation, wild yeast and 18 months in French oak. Made using traditional Burgundian methods.

If you like these, you'll love this: Ideal for fans of top-tier Burgundy, Ata Rangi or Felton Road. Serious Pinot lovers – this one's for you.  

What customers say

Delivery & collection

Free delivery across Jersey on orders over £50 (£10 below that). We aim to deliver the next working day. Prefer to pick up? Choose click & collect at checkout.

A benchmark New Zealand Pinot – only made in the best years Pegasus Bay’s Prima Donna is no ordinary Pinot. This is the pinnacle – the reserve wine from one of New Zealand’s most celebrated family-run estates. Made only in outstanding vintages, from the oldest vines on the estate, Prima Donna is a barrel selection of the very best – a wine of real pedigree, power and poise.Crafted using traditional Burgundian methods and aged for 18 months in French oak, this is a rich, savoury, beautifully structured Pinot Noir that will age gracefully for many years. Elegant and complex, it stands shoulder to shoulder with the world’s top Pinots and is a must-have for collectors and lovers of cool-climate reds.

More about this wine

CRITICS

96/100 – Cameron Douglas MS

“Seductive and complex... a complete wine with elegance, texture and length. Beautifully made.”

95/100 – Bob Campbell MW

“Deeply flavoured, concentrated Pinot Noir with layers of dark cherry, spice and savoury complexity. A serious wine with ageing potential.”

18.5/20 – Raymond Chan

“Rich, complex and harmonious. A wine of drive, energy and finesse with serious structure.”

Tasting Notes


Deep ruby in colour with lifted aromas of wild red berries, strawberry compote and raspberry. Beneath the fruit, there’s roasted game, black olive, and earthy spice. The palate is mouthfilling and supple, with silky tannins and vibrant acidity giving drive and finesse. Long, savoury and layered – a Pinot with real presence.

HARVEST AND WINEMAKING

2015 brought a smaller than average crop due to a cool spring, but the resulting fruit was concentrated and high quality. A warm summer and a slow, dry autumn gave perfect ripening conditions.

The wine was made using traditional Burgundian methods: around one-third whole bunches in the ferment, wild yeast fermentation, gentle plunging, and extended skin contact post-ferment for added structure. Aged for 18 months in French oak barriques (30% new), followed by a careful barrel selection to create the final blend.

the vineyard and the vines

Located in North Canterbury’s Waipara Valley, Pegasus Bay’s vineyards sit on north-facing, free-draining terraces carved by ancient glaciers. Sheltered by the Teviotdale hills, this site enjoys hot days and some of the coolest nights in the region – perfect for Pinot Noir.

Many of the vines are over 30 years old, planted on their own roots in poor, low-vigour soils. Yields are naturally low, producing intensely flavoured grapes that reflect the wild, beautiful landscape they grow in.