A full bodied, savoury Pinot Noir with appealing layers of red fruit flavours, which  drinks well now and can age superbly for the next four to five years. This is smooth, savoury and complex in flavour with layers of red fruit, tangy freshness from bold acidity that is held in balance by weight and texture. 

An expressive full bodied sparkling wine made from 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay, given extended lees ageing time to enable the wine to develop complex creamy aromas and layers of flavours with strawberries, nectarine, white peach and freshly baked sourdough bread.

Winemaker notes say that the extended lees time has infused the wine with a delicious umami savoriness, making this 2020 vintage a perfect match for crayfish, oysters and other kaimoana. 

Crisp and creamy, full bodied and elegant, this wine has great complexity thanks to being made from 21 year old vines, which are now coming into their own - as this lovely refreshing dry white shows. This is the first Masters Chardonnay from winemaker Helen and her partner Ben Masters' vineyard, four kilometres south of Martinborough. 

It's a beautiful wine now and will continue to develop in flavour and age well for the next four to five years+.

Dead Flowers is a field blend of Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer from a single vineyard in Waipara. It is a white and red co-ferment - partly on skins and partly direct pressed. It is then aged in a mixture of oak, tank and amphora.

Crunchy and fresh with mad florals and spicy Pinot textures. Light red in colour and chillable.

This wine is pale lemon in colour with fragrant aromas of fresh apples, meyer lemons and a hint of almonds. The palate displays citrus characters with subtle floral characters and creamy texture with a crisp and refreshing finish. Opawa Pinot Gris is a versatile food wine and matches well with a variety of dishes especially lightly spiced Asian influenced cuisine.

One of New Zealand's premium Syrahs. Deep and savoury with rich tannins. The vines are planted in the stoniest parts of the vineyard to a heritage clone of Syrah brought to New Zealand in the 1840s. 

"Inky purple red. Enticing aromatics of boysenberry, blueberry, violets, clove and lightly seared meat. The wine exhibits a richness of fruit yet carries an ethereal quality as the fine grained tannins dance gracefully across the palate." Winemaker's note.

Prima Donna is the top Pinot Noir and best red from Pegasus Bay Winery, made from a blend of barrels tasted by the winemaking team and chosen for their quality and superior style. It is produced by Mat Donaldson and his winemaking team, who aim to create the most complex and balanced Pinot Noir possible in this wine, which is part of Pegasus Bay’s reserve series wines. 

Traditional Burgundian winemaking sees the inclusion of approximately one third of the grapes in this blend fermented as whole bunches. The maturation is in French oak, approximately 45% new, for 18 months, using oak barriques from selected artisan Burgundian coopers.

This wine drinks well now and can also age superbly for 10 years and further, in cool cellar conditions.

* Prima Donna Pinot Noir is produced only in vintages regarded as exceptional quality. 

VINEYARDS: Cactus Merlot/Malbec, Lunatic Syrah, Owhiti Malbec, Ponui Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. 

BLEND: Malbec 35%, Merlot 32%, Syrah 28%, Cabernet Franc 5%

WINEMAKING

The vintage of 2023 was a challenging year climatically, very wet and humid with low sunshine hours and periods of intense rain culminating in flooding in late January and Cyclone Gabrielle in early February.  The weather improved for the harvest months, but low sunshine hours resulted in wines with a light elegant touch, fresh, lively and delicious in their delicacy. Our Pinque Rose is harvested from select coastal sites on Waiheke and Ponui Islands made up of individual vineyards planted in Merlot, Malbec and Syrah which are designed with Rose production in mind. Picking early in the season but still showcasing red berry characters, the f ruit is whole bunch pressed in the champagne style liberating only the cleanest and most pure of juice. Fermented cool in stainless steel tanks and blended in the winter. 

TASTING NOTE

Pinque is a pure expression of Rose. Beginning with a classic pale salmon colour the wine has aromas of crushed rose petal, musk candy (pink smokers) strawberry flesh and a maritime scent. The palate is fresh and delicate with shades of stone and citrus fruits with fresh herbs finishing clean, crisp and delicious. 2023 Pinque is an uplifting and refreshing response to a challenging vintage.

A field blend of Pinto Gris and Riesling from Otiake in the Waitake valley.

Delicately poised and floral on the nose with white fruit and lemon pith and a touch of complexing minerality. The palate is ripe and deep with stonefruit, citrus and further floral notes leading to a deep and spicy finish. A pure cool climate, aromatic wine.

Deep and ripe Pinot Noir from a selection of five vineyards in Waipara. Great concentration and oodles of fruit. 

About the winery...

"The company takes its name from an early Canterbury resident, surveyor and farmer, Englishman Charles Torlesse. He gave his name to the Torlesse mountain range which part circles the Canterbury Plains and was at one time the largest land owner and farmer in North Canterbury and founder of the nearby town of Rangiora. Interestingly, the name Torlesse is given to the underlying bedrock from which most New Zealand soils are derived ? Torlesse, the terroir of New Zealand!



Our winery first started its life as a farm woolshed. In 1987 it was converted into a winery for Glenmark Wines by John McCaskey and Torlesse Wines moved to Waipara in 1991 and still share the production facilities. Many additions have made the winery self-sufficient in all aspects of winemaking from crushing to bottling, a claim that some wineries can not make."

Vineyards
- The McKenzie vineyard is located in Waipara close to the winery. The vineyard is a free draining terrace site. The average age of vines varies from 16 years or older.

Wine Making
- All hand harvested in late April and early May
- Harvest brix ranged from 22-23 brix [% sugar]
- Fermentation was in small vessels [1500L] 3 day cool soak, inoculated with yeast,
fermentation varies from 4-6 days peaking at 32 C then allowed 7-10 days on skins. Some components were given extended skin contact up to 28 days.
- Pressing was in traditional Basket Press
- Cooperage was a mixture of French barrels ranging in age from new to 6+ years. Duration is approx 18 months
- Malo lactic [ML] fermentation is natural starting in Spring and the wine is racked and has a SO2 addition once ML complete.
- Bottling is through 1 micron filter

Bottle Details
- Alcohol 13.0 % by volume
- Acid is 5.5 gm/L [as tartaric]
- Volatile Acidity is 0.45 gm/L
- Residual Sugar is < 1 gm/L

Kumeu River Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend together to create a deliciously dry and perfectly pink cr?mant. The aromas of summer sparkle from the glass, freshly picked strawberries and white stone fruit build the texture and mouth feel we really enjoy from our Kumeu Cr?mant.

The perfect aperitif for the festive season.

VINEYARD - The fruit was sourced from one of the oldest vineyards in the Waipara Region.  The vines are sustainably managed and maintained in order to deliver fruit with a great balance of concentration and acidity. 

SOIL TYPE - Clay over Alluvial gravels

WINEMAKING - After gently pressing this wine was fermented in seasoned French oak and aged on lees for 7 months.

TASTING NOTES - Wonderfully fruited and richly expressed, the bouquet shows golden peach, lychee, mango and rose petal aromas with a lovely spicy overtone. The palate delivers terrific fruit power and intensity combined with creamy mouthfeel and velvety texture, finishing long and sumptuous.  Sam Kim – Wine Orbit

Te Mania Chardonnay is an elegant wine made with just a little oak to compliment and show case the fresh fruity flavours. This wine offers nectarine and ripe citrus aromas with just a touch of light oak. Stone fruit characters continue with citrus on the palate, complemented by a silky texture. The palate has appealing weight, texture and a long fresh finish.