In early August the Saint Clair Vineyard Kitchen played host to Saint Clair’s growers who, along with our staff, were treated to a tasting of the Saint Clair 2019 Sauvignon Blancs. What follows is an overview of some of our Saint Clair Pioneer Block wines and our Saint Clair Wairau Reserve.
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 1 – Foundation Sauvignon 2019
Grower: Sowman Family
Vineyard Location: Dillons Point
Alcohol: 13%
Nose: Pungent grapefruit with oyster shell.
Palate: Salt, blackcurrant, pink grapefruit as well an interesting green thread that runs through the wine.
Overview: This has been a very consistent vineyard for Saint Clair for a long time now. It is winemaker Heather Stewart’s favourite Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. She particularly enjoys the brininess and oyster shell characteristics.
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 3 – 43 Degrees Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Grower: Mark and Kate O’Sullivan
Vineyard Location: Dillons Point
Alcohol: 13%
Nose: White currant, passionfruit skin.
Palate: Tropical with a green thread, salt, blackcurrant, pink grapefruit, fresh cut jalapeño.
Overview: Rows are planted north-east to south-west at a 43 degree angle rather than the typical north to south. This leads to slightly greener characters in grapes on the south facing side and more tropical characters in grapes on the north facing side. The resulting wine is therefore multi-dimensional and complex.
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 20 – Cash Block Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Grower: Register Family
Vineyard Location: Dillons Point
Alcohol: 13%
Nose: Green capsicum, green leaf, intense, pungent, tropical fruits.
Palate: Rich, salty, green, tropical.
Overview: Amazing fruit came off this vineyard in 2019. The winemakers were very selective about when each part of the vineyard was harvested. We harvested different parcels at different times i.e. the North area with the newer vines came in earlier than the South East which has older vines.
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 21 – Campbell Block Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Grower: Peter and Kath Campbell
Vineyard Location: Dillons Point
Alcohol: 13%
Nose: Green capsicum, leaf.
Palate: Snow pea, focused, good length.
Overview: Amazing fruit, powerful concentration, incredible green spectrum.
Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Grower: Jason and Jenny Neal (5-6 years growing for Saint Clair)
Vineyard Location: Dillons Point
Alcohol: 13%
Nose: Elegant with poise, blackcurrant, slight salty note.
Palate: Really rich passionfruit palate. Full, lush and rich.
Overview: Our Reserve wines are our finest, representing the highest quality of its variety. Therefore the selection of our Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc typically gets a lot of attention. The length of deliberation for the Wairau Reserve was long, with two weeks of tastings before our winemakers took another 3-4 days to decide which vineyard would be selected.
The grapes were selected from one vineyard and the wine came from only one tank, with little winemaker intervention.
Jason and Jenny have been growing for Saint Clair for almost six years now and say that it has been a pleasure. Their practices in the vineyard have always been fastidious and have resulted our top Sauvignon Blanc for 2019.
