Saint Clair Family Estate are thrilled with the 2016 vintage. Once again, Marlborough delivers with some good solid weather during ripening where warm sunny days are followed by cool nights. This unique combination of climate, soils, aspect and terrain are what makes Marlborough consistently stand proud on the world stage of wine.
Some good rains in January and February resulted in healthy vibrant canopies and helped maintain irrigation acquirers. This was followed by a very warm autumn which ripened the fruit earlier than average. Harvest commenced mid-March.
Yields across varietals have been variable with some Marlborough sub-regions being effected by cooler temperatures at flowering during later December.
Chardonnay crops were generally light with all other varieties average or above. The Sauvignon Blanc came from good, strong canopies with balanced crops that have had adequate water. The grapes looked clean and displayed great concentration of flavours.
Solid Marlborough weather gave Pinot Noir bunches nice small berries, hence good skin to juice ratio and great colour and flavour for the wine. This will be considered to be a great Pinot Noir year!
The harvest is expected to be able to supply Marlborough’s 10% per annum growing export requirement.
The aromas around the winery are now great with the ferments letting off terrific smells. Initial grading of our 2016 Sauvignon Blanc wines is about to start. This is a lengthy process but a worthy one with the end result aiming for the very best of what Marlborough has to offer. We are excited about the 2016 vintage and can’t wait for the 2016 wines to be released.
