Offering up pronounced notes of lemon marmalade, acacia honey, key lime pie and musk perfumed with a hint of baking bread, the 2014 Aria Late Picked offers a fair bit off rich, unctuous sweetness. Marked by a racy acid backbone, which cuts through the appealing viscosity and opulent citrus and honey flavor layers, the refreshing finish goes on and on.

The 2011 Aria Late Picked Riesling has a nose that is a little youthfully mute at this stage yet offers subtle notes of spiced apple slices, nashi and pear drops with hints of nutmeg and beeswax. Fully sweet, rich and packed with peach and exotic fruit intensity in the mouth, it has a glorious finish that goes on and on. Drink it 2014 to 2020+. Importer: Meadowbank Estate, Alexandria, VA

2009 produced about half as much botrytis affected berries as 2008 (around 40%), but it’s enough to lend that wonderfully honeyed / musky character on the nose of the 2009 Aria Late Picked Riesling along with notes of jasmine, orange marmalade, lemon tart and some candied citrus peel. Fully sweet, rich and generously fruited in the mouth, it has a good backbone of refreshing acidity and a very long finish. Consider drinking this one now to 2020+. The Donaldson family initially planted vines at this Waipara estate in 1986, at first with a whole fruit salad of vines including a mix of Bordeaux varietals. With the benefit of trial and error, now the focus at Pegasus Bay is on Riesling and Pinot Noir. Husband and wife team, Lynnette Hudson and Matt Donaldson, are the dynamic duo heading-up winemaking these days and, as the notes of the verticals of back vintages I tasted with them will attest, the wines from this commendable estate not only have staying power, they just get better and better. Importer: Empson USA, Alexandria, VA.

2008 was a big botrytis year (80%) and the 2008 Aria Late Picked Riesling has a wonderfully fragrant nose of honeyed apricots, lemon marmalade and mandarin peel with touches of musk and crushed stones. Fully sweet, rich, full, silken and seductive, it has an abundance of honeyed citrus and stone fruit flavors and crisp acid, going long into the finish. Drinking now, it should cellar to 2016+. The Donaldson family initially planted vines at this Waipara estate in 1986, at first with a whole fruit salad of vines including a mix of Bordeaux varietals. With the benefit of trial and error, now the focus at Pegasus Bay is on Riesling and Pinot Noir. Husband and wife team, Lynnette Hudson and Matt Donaldson, are the dynamic duo heading-up winemaking these days and, as the notes of the verticals of back vintages I tasted with them will attest, the wines from this commendable estate not only have staying power, they just get better and better. Importer: Empson USA, Alexandria, VA.

The 2006 Aria Late Picked Riesling was picked through multiple passes through the vineyard selecting bunches with more than 30% botrytis. It displays an engaging “minimalist” nose with touches of lanolin, musk, Turkish Delight and wet wool and a sprightly viscous palate that has just the right amount of residual sugar to balance the acidity. Although winemakers Matthew Donaldson and Lynette Hudson look as if they have just got in from an all-night rave, they are presently producing some of New Zealand’s most exhilarating, Burgundyinspired white wines, their reds suffused with earthy flavors. They are demonstrating the potential of the Canterbury wine region and constitute one of New Zealand’s best producers. Their whites are exhilarating and seem best between a year in bottle and around fiveyears. Importer: Empson (USA), Inc., Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900; fax (703) 684-2065