Mohua is a Central Otago label produced by Peregrine Wines, the respected Gibbston-based estate, offering an accessible expression of the region under winemaker Nadine Cross. Central Otago is the world's southernmost commercial wine region, a high, semi-continental landscape of short, warm days and cold nights that build colour, aromatic intensity and firm natural acidity in Pinot Noir. Fruit is drawn from vineyards across the district on schist-derived, free-draining loess and gravel soils. The 2023 season produced bright, aromatic fruit; the wine shows crimson colour, lifted red cherry, raspberry and subtle spice with floral and earthy nuance, and the fresh, energetic structure that marks cool-climate Otago Pinot.

The 2023 Mohua was largely destemmed, perhaps with a small whole-bunch portion, cold-soaked and fermented in open vessels with plunging to draw gentle colour and fine tannin. Fermentation was followed by malolactic conversion and maturation in French oak, mostly seasoned with a modest new-oak fraction, for an approachable, fruit-forward style rather than a heavily worked one. The result is light to medium-bodied and silky, offering fresh red cherry and raspberry supported by fine tannins and lively acidity, with a gentle savoury edge building through the mid-palate. Reviewers found it smooth, bright and expressive, an elegant yet flavoursome wine with regional character and a long, velvety finish.