The Saint Clair team was absolutely delighted to win the Chandler Glass and Packaging Trophy for Alternate Style Sauvignon Blanc at the 2025 Marlborough Wine Show last week. The awards ceremony took place at Marlborough’s exciting new Wine + Food Experience on Alfred Street, Blenheim, which is fast becoming the place to be and be seen!
Saint Clair’s Trophy winning wine was the much-loved Barrique Sauvignon Blanc 2021 which had already won Gold at the Marlborough Wine Show judging and was described as “showing longevity; a beautifully balanced and well-made wine”.
This alternative style was made with much care and skill; the fruit is left on the vines a week longer that traditionally and only the highest quality fruit is selected for partial hand harvesting. After whole bunch pressing the wine is racked into seasoned French and American oak barriques. Barrels are fermented with a mix of naturally occurring and inoculated yeast strains, then, following fermentation, the wine is aged on lees for 10 months. Only the very best barrels were selected for bottling.
The 2021 Vintage was crafted from premium vineyards in the lower Wairau Valley and has gooseberry and nashi pear characteristics with a hint of spice and herbal notes on the palate which goes beautifully with a large range of food.
Winner
Following the win, Senior Winemaker Stewart Maclennan said that the whole team were excited by the win and that it reflected the hard work and dedication of the winemaking and cellar team to go the extra mile in crafting this delicious wine.
Stewart added, “Saint Clair always strives produce excellent wines that exceed expectations. Receiving this Trophy in our own Marlborough backyard makes it all the more special."
In addition to the Trophy win, Saint Clair also received Gold Medals at the Marlborough Wine Show for three of their prestigious Pioneer Block wines across Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc reflecting the breadth of Saint Clair’s winemaking expertise across a range of varieties and styles.
About the Marlborough Wine Show 2025
The Marlborough Wine Show reviews and assesses entries with a panel of experienced judges, including Saint Clair’s senior winemaker, Kyle Thompson. The panel rewards top-performing wines with trophies, gold, silver and bronze medals. The show provides a relevant and credible platform for Marlborough producers to promote their wines and is also a celebration of excellence - not only of Marlborough wines, but the whole local industry.
Saint Clair Gold Medal winners from the 2025 Marlborough Wine Show:
Gold Medal - Saint Clair Pioneer Block 3 43 Degrees Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Gold Medal - Saint Clair Pioneer Block 10 Twin Hills Chardonnay 2023
Gold Medal - Saint Clair Pioneer Block 28 Camp Block Pinot Blanc 2022
Saint Clair wishes to extend a huge thanks to the judges for their hard work and thank the Marlborough Wine Show organising committee, Wine Marlborough, and all competition sponsors for creating a show with such a great reputation within the industry so local producers can showcase their best wines.
