Pegasus Bay Reserve Maestro Merlot Cabernet Malbec

Maestro is part of our reserve series and represents the very best of our Bordeaux fruit, coming from some of the oldest plantings in the vineyard. As with all our reserves, this celebrated claret style wine is only made in exceptional years, the last being 2009. After being picked in May, 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, the various batches were then carefully blended in varying portions to produce the most complex and balanced wine possible. The finished product is a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet, and 10% Malbec.

The wine has a dense inky appearance, suggesting concentration and weight. The aroma is bursting with dark fruit (blackberry, blackcurrent, plum), but underlying there are also hints of vanilla pod, cigar box, liquorice and black olive. The palate is mouth filling and rich, backed by a spine of muscular yet fine grained tannins, that draw out the wine’s length and will help it age gracefully. While ready to drink on release, it should develop a range of additional nuances as it matures in the bottle.