Pegasus Bay 'Maestro' Merlot Malbec 2019
The Pegasus Bay 'Maestro' Merlot Malbec red wine blend is part of the Donaldson family's reserve series and represents the very best of their Bordeaux fruit. As with all their reserve wines, this celebrated claret style is only made in exceptional years. At the winery the grapes began fermentation naturally in stainless steel tanks. During this process the juice was regularly drained and sprayed back over the cap of floating grape skins (rather than plunging), to ensure a perfect tannin balance was extracted from the fruit. The wine was then gently pressed off and put into French oak barriques (50% new). The following summer, when the weather warmed, it underwent a natural malo-lactic (secondary) fermentation. After maturing in oak for 2 years, a selection from the best barrels was carefully blended to produce the most balanced yet complex wine possible. The finished product is a blend of approximately 50% Merlot, 40% Malbec, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. On release it has a deep inky hue. The nose uncoils in waves, a core of brambly dark berry fruit overhauled by a rush of tobacco, black olive tapenade, vanilla and smoked game, leaving ripples of cinnamon, peppermint and sage. The palate is broad shouldered and muscular, with assertive tannins balanced by a concentrated ripe mouthfeel and a long spicy finish. Dense, meaty, and generously structured, this powerful and full-bodied wine upholds its place as the heavyweight in our reds division.
