Colour:
Pale gold
Aroma:
Fragrant ripe peach, toasted spice and subtle vanilla notes.
Palate:
Concentrated, round and full with flavours of ripe charred stone fruit, pink grapefruit and a smoky oak character that leads to a long and lingering finish.
Ageing potential:
Drinking beautifully now, this wine will continue to evolve and reward over the next five to ten years with careful cellaring.
Winemakers:
Stewart Maclennan and Hamish Clark
Winemaking:
The fruit was lightly whole bunch pressed and the juice fermented in American oak barrels, forty-three per cent of which were new, using selected yeast strains. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation, followed by ten months aging on yeast lees with regular stirring. Only the very best barrels were selected for the Omaka Reserve Chardonnay.
Viticulture:
Sourced primarily from Saint Clair’s vineyards in Marlborough’s Omaka valley where a combination of warm days, cool nights and clay based soils contribute to greater retention of fruit flavours. The fruit is a blend of Chardonnay clones, predominantly Mendoza and Burgundian Clone 95. The vines were monitored carefully during ripening and hand harvested at optimum flavour maturity and physiological ripeness.
Wine Analysis:
Alcohol 13.5% v/v
Residual sugar 2.1g/litre
Acidity 6.0g/litre
pH 3.24
Our Food Match Recommendation:
This is Saint Clair owners Neal and Judy Ibbotson’s perfect wine to have alongside succulent roast chicken with lemon and garlic.
5 STARS - Dish Tasting 2021
94/100 - The real review 26 FEB 2021
93/100 - Cuisine #207 2021
93/100 - Winter edition of World of Wine - Cameron Douglas 2021
SILVER MEDAL - Chardonnay Du Monde 2021
4.5 Stars - Winestate NZ Marlborough 2020
