Saint Clair Family Estate is celebrating the completion of another successful vintage.
The grape pre-harvest initiation commences during flowering which takes place in December and the flowering conditions throughout this period were perfect. Then mother nature changed its regular pattern and produced a January that recorded the hottest temperatures Marlborough has experienced, followed by a month of rainfall. Despite these challenging weather conditions the fruit ripened nicely on the vines, 10 days earlier than normal and we now have clean, ripe and intensely flavoured fruit in the tank and barrel.
Effective viticulture methods including open canopy management, along with ensuring the correct cropping levels, plus extended dry periods in March with high sunshine hours in the lead up to the main part of vintage, kept disease to a minimum. Saint Clair winemakers were in the vineyards throughout harvest, tasting berries and checking crops to ensure that picking took place at the time of physiological fruit ripeness.
Whilst some would say 2018 was a challenging year, Marlborough continues to prove to be the perfect region for Sauvignon Blanc and many other varieties, with general quality from Saint Clair’s vineyards looking great and some of the top blocks looking exceptional.
The general overall yield of 2018 vintage is a little lower than normal, particularly for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Despite this Saint Clair’s harvest is expected to be sufficient to continue to supply the growing world demand for its wines.
We look forward to sharing the Saint Clair wines of 2018 with our many world markets.
