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A Wow wine! Elegant dry Riesling from North Canterbury in New Zealand, Pegasus Bay’s Bel Canto Dry Riesling is a concentrated, rounded wine, its richness balanced with mouth-watering acidity
Only 4 left in stock
Only 4 left in stock
| Wine Style | White Wine, Aromatic White |
|---|---|
| Grape Variety | Riesling |
| Wine Region | North Canterbury |
| Country | New Zealand |
| ABV | 13.50% |
| Oaked | No |
| Cork | No, Screwcap |
| Lifestyle | Vegan, Certified Sustainable |
| Volume | 75cl |
| Drink By | 2026 |
Pegasus Bay Bel Canto Dry Riesling 2015 was just meant to be part of the Wines With Attitude portfolio. I wasn’t looking to add another dry Riesling as I had already found TWR Riesling D but I just had to when I tasted Bel Canto Riesling at the New Zealand trade fair in London in early 2019. It was the talk of the fair. It is absolutely beautiful. In short, citrus, marmelade and peach flavours with spicy notes. Any richness of flavours and the fairly luscious texture are balanced with mouthwatering acidity that make this a very drinkable Riesling. The producer describes it better than me in the Producer’s Notes tab.
Raymond Chan who sadly passed away described Riesling as one of the two “signature varieties of the Waipara Valley in North Canterbury” and Pegasus Bay as “leaders” in its production. Often in wine-making the aim is to express the terroir of a single vineyard but not with this wine because according to the winemaker at Pegasus Bay, Mat Donaldson, although single sites in the region do show an individual character and terroir, not all of them are worthy of capturing and expressing. Raymond Chan describes the style of this wine as “particularly connected with the tastes of the sophisticated consumer”.
You can read more about the Riesling grape and its varied wines in my blog.
Chilled this makes an amazing aperitif. Foods that dry Rieslings are well suited to include shellfish, fish generally but especially smoked fish and oily fish. Rich creamy dishes. Mild dishes – don’t try anything too hot or chilli-flavoured with a dry Riesling as the heat will kill the beautiful fruit flavours of the wine. Asparagus and artichokes can both be very tricky to pair with wine but are perfect with a dry Riesling.
Serve at: 10 – 12°C
“On release, it is a lemon-straw. There are plentiful aromas and flavours that are reminiscent of citrus fruits, honeydew melon, pawpaw and tropical spices. It expands on the palate to become broad shouldered, mouth filling and rich but retains a spine of sinuous acidity and minerality that help draw out a lingering hint of freshly crushed root ginger. It can be expected to develop a range of other fascinating nuances with careful cellaring.”
93 points – Bob Campbell MW
“Dry, flavoursome riesling with honey, toast, lime, ginger and floral flavours. Quite a weighty example, with a drying backbone of phenolics and gentle acidity. A rich and complex wine that should develop well.”
92+ points – RobertParker.com – Feb 2018
“It’s rich and full-bodied, with an opulent, velvety mouthfeel and luxurious flavors of bergamot and orange marmalade.”
jamessuckling.com
“A very powerful and essence-like expression of pickled lime, preserved lemon and baked peach fruits. The structure is impeccably judged, reining in massive amounts of flavor perfectly.”
18.5+ points – Raymond Chan – Sep 2017
“… concentrated, dense heart packed with harmoniously integrated flavours of ripe citrus fruits, marmalade, honeysuckle and musk. This has real body and presence, and the palate has a rounded and gently unctuous mouthfeel….concentrated dry Riesling with ripe citrus fruits, honey, musk and marmalade botrytis flavours on a rounded, unctuous palate”
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