Saint Clair Barrique Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Neal and Judy Ibbotson were pioneers in the Marlborough wine industry, first planting vineyards in the valley in 1978 and then establishing Saint Clair Family Estate in 1994. They own 160 hectares of vineyard in 10 different Marlborough locations chosen specifically for the attributes of their individual "terroir" and ability to produce top quality grapes. Neal Ibbotson combines his extensive expertise in viticulture with the talent of one of New Zealand's leading winemaking teams led by Hamish Clark. Since 1994, when wines from the first vintage all won medals including gold, the name Saint Clair has been synonymous with quality and its award-winning record continues today. This is a sentiment shared by Bob Campbell MW, who says “Saint Clair now makes the country’s and perhaps the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc”.
The grapes for the Barrique Sauvignon Blanc come from just three rows of vines in one of Saint Clair’s best vineyards in the lower Wairau subregion of Marlborough. The fruit is left to hang a week longer than the fruit for Saint Clair’s traditional Sauvignon Blanc and only the highest quality bunches are selected for hand harvesting. At the winery the grapes were whole bunch pressed, briefly settled then racked into seasoned French oak barriques. Post fermentation the wine was aged on its lees for nine months, with twice weekly barrel stirring and underwent spontaneous malolactic fermentation. Each barrel was tasted regularly by the winemaking team and only the very best and most interesting barrels were selected for the final blend. Complex aromas of green coffee bean and vanilla pod are complemented by notes of wild flowers, crushed herbs and just a hint of gunflint. The palate is rich and unctuous with layers of preserved lemon, ripe papaya, cocoa powder and toasted hazelnut with hints of red berry.
Wine File
The Producer Saint Clair Family Estate | Marlborough
Neal and Judy Ibbotson were pioneers of New Zealand's Marlborough wine industry, first planting vineyards in the valley in 1978 and then establishing Saint Clair Family Estate in 1994. They presently own 160 hectares of vineyard in 10 different...
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