The Air New Zealand Wine Awards announced their trophy winners at a prestigious dinner on Saturday night at the Saxton Stadium in Nelson. Most of the Saint Clair team were there to witness the presentation of their trophy win for the Saint Clair Pioneer Block 17 Plateau Merlot 2014. The wine won the Coast FM Champion Merlot, Cabernet and Blends Trophy, an astounding result for the family owned winery.
Saint Clair Family Estate is incredibly proud to have been recognised for their wine quality for the Merlot. Over the years Saint Clair has been awarded a total of five trophies for the Merlot varietal (all from Marlborough) with the most recent being in 2006. This trophy winning Merlot is produced from outstanding fruit from Saint Clair’s vineyard from the world renowned Gimblett Gravels winegrowing district of Hawkes Bay. The vigour moderating, free draining gravel provides a superb base for this low cropping Merlot. The vineyard site has ideal ripening conditions for achieving the full aromatic profile and tannin structure.
The Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2015 has been a success story for the brand with the trophy win, as well as eight gold medal winning wines across a range of varietals and price points. To come out on top after 26 judges assessed a total of 1424 wines across 16 classes is a huge achievement.
Saint Clair red winemaker Kyle Thompson comments; “it was an absolute thrill to be at the awards presentation on Saturday night and receive this prestigious trophy on behalf of the Saint Clair team. We are typically associated with quality Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir so the trophy for the Merlot comes with much excitement and illustrates we can produce quality wine across a range of styles and varietals.”
Ongoing and consistent achievement at significant international wine shows such as this is a reflection of the incredible focus on quality from the vineyard to the winery and beyond. This is what has assisted the family owned winery to become a leading New Zealand wine producer in the global market.
The following Saint Clair wines achieved gold medal status;
PURE GOLD MEDAL Saint Clair Marlborough Premium Sauvignon Blanc 2015
PURE GOLD MEDAL Saint Clair Pioneer Block 3 43 Degrees Sauvignon Blanc 2015
PURE GOLD MEDAL Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2015
PURE GOLD MEDAL Saint Clair Marlborough Premium Pinot Gris 2014
PURE GOLD MEDAL Saint Clair Godfrey’s Creek Reserve Pinot Gris 2014
PURE GOLD MEDAL Saint Clair Pioneer Block 10 Twin Hills Chardonnay 2014
PURE GOLD MDEAL Saint Clair Pioneer Block 11 Cell Block Chardonnay 2014
PURE GOLD MEDAL Saint Clair Pioneer Block 17 Plateau Merlot 2014
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