Colour:
Pale green.
Aroma:
Intense aromas of grapefruit, crushed herbs and blackcurrant bud with an aromatic green nettle thread.
Palate:
Pure and focused with generous layers of passionfruit, crushed herb and mineral notes. A rich, salty palate displaying impressive weight and texture and a long lingering finish.
Ageing potential:
Drinking beautifully now and will be at its best over the next three years.
Winemaker:
Stewart Maclennan
Winemaking:
The juice was pressed off immediately to minimize skin contact following harvesting. After settling, the juice was fermented in stainless steel using a selected yeast strain. The fermentation was carried out at cool temperatures to retain varietal characters and freshness. This parcel was identified by our winemaking team during comprehensive blind tastings as the very best batch of wine produced for the 2023 vintage and therefore bottled as the Saint Clair Wairau Reserve.
Viticulture:
Proximity to the ocean sees stronger maritime influences on the single vineyard in the lower Wairau Valley where fruit for the Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc was grown. The daytime temperatures are warm, facilitating ripening, while the night temperatures are typically cooler than the central and upper parts of the Wairau Valley. This promotes increased hang time and flavour development. Nutrient rich soils deposited over time due to non-erosive flooding (prior to stop bank flood protection being introduced) have formed even and fertile sites. The nutrient hungry Sauvignon Blanc vines utilise this fertility to produce extremely concentrated flavours and aromas.
Wine Analysis:
Alcohol 12.5% v/v
Residual sugar 2.94g/L
Acidity 7.4g/L
pH 3.47
Our Food Match Recommendation:
An exceptional food friendly wine which will match beautifully with freshly shucked oysters or steamed mussels.
Vegan Friendly
Gold Medal - AWC Vienna, 2024
Gold Medal - Marlborough Wine Show, 2024
Gold Medal - New Zealand International Wine Show, 2023
Gold Medal - National Wine Awards of Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023
5 Stars - Michael Coopers Buyers guide, 2023"Marlborough's largest family-owned wine producer has an extensive array of Sauvignon Blancs. This is not the region's most complex Savvy, but in terms of sheer pungency, it's a star, having won countless gold medals and trophies since the first, 2001 vintage. Grown in the cooler, coastal end of the Wairau Valley and handled entirely in stainless steel tanks, it is typically super-charged, in an exuberantly fruity, very pure and zesty style. The light lemon/green 2023 vintage (5*), grown at a single site at Dillons Point, is intensely varietal. Medium to full-bodied, it is penetrating and finely poised, with vigorous passionfruit and green capsicum flavours, a hint of saltiness, and a crisp, dry, lingering finish."
95 Points, 95/100 - Raymond Chan Wine Reviews
"Bright, even, pale yellow. The nose is expressive with aromas of fresh gooseberry, white currant, green mango, nettle and sea minerals. Medium-light bodied, aromas of gooseberry, white currant and green mango form a taut core, unfolding kaffir lime, nettle, elderflower and sea salt. Delicately textured phenolics provide substance and silkiness to the mouthfeel. Zingy acidity persists to a crisp, lingering with saline moreishness. A well-made, sophisticated Sauvignon Blanc shows refined layers and purity. Match with mussels with herb butter and goat's cheese ravioli over the next 3+ years. Fruit from a single vineyard in Dillons Point of the Lower Wairau Valley fermented to 12.5% alc. "
