Saint Clair Family Estate is excited with the exceptional vineyard fruit flavours from the 2019 vintage which will create great quality wines that the company has become renowned for.
Harvest began on the 4th March with grapes destined for the low alcohol wines being the first to be picked.
While there were periods of rain during the harvest, these were short and followed by brilliant sunshine along with some breeze to dry the berries. Winemakers in the vineyard tasting the fruit constantly commented that the fruit was very concentrated with great flavour.
The winery ramped up to full speed with 24 hour shifts operating from the 13th of March and the harvest continued at a steady and manageable pace with minimal pressure. The vintage then proceeded in near perfect conditions.
As expected, due to the earlier ripening nature of the variety, the Pinot Noir fruit came to the winery before the Sauvignon Blanc. The fruit came in block after block and the quality looks exceptional. The Sauvignon Blanc which followed presented good concentrated flavours along with great acids.
The later ripening vineyards enjoyed their greater time on the vine they required to reach their full potential, before they were harvested prior to a rain event wrapping up the Saint Clair harvest on Wednesday 10th April.
The early start to harvest then led to an early finish.
The Hawke’s Bay fruit was picked strategically with the truck loads arriving safely in Marlborough after having enjoyed a 12-hour journey down the North Island and a ferry ride across the Cook Straight arriving early April.
Quality is great across all varieties however yields have been lower, especially for Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.
The juice has settled and fermented well and is a reflection of the quality and cleanliness of fruit this vintage has delivered. Saint Clair is looking forward to sharing the exceptional quality with its many world markets.
