The Reserve wines from Saint Clair represent the estate’s pinnacle wines – the best of the best. This 2019 has concentrated flavours of black cherry, blackcurrant, Kalamata olive, and perfumed wildflowers, that lead to an elegant palate with a structure reminiscent of finely powdered cocoa. The finish is long incorporating freshly roasted coffee beans, toasty oak and spice.
Ageing potential: This wine is drinking beautifully now or with careful cellaring will mature into a more complex wine that can be enjoyed for the next 8 to 10 years or beyond.
This vineyard site has been the foundation for some of Saint Clair’s finest wines. This is the vineyard where Saint Clair Family Estate first discovered the fruit to make their flagship Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc. The fruit is sourced from a single vineyard in the lower Wairau Valley. The Block One site was previously part of the Wairau flood plain and is renowned for its deep, highly fertile, free-draining soils, which have been built up over time and help to produce the intensity of flavour in the resulting wine. The vineyard has a flat profile and is situated approximately three metres above sea level. It is now protected from flooding by a stopbank. Located in a slightly cooler site than the majority of the Marlborough Valley, the vines have a slower annual ripening period. The fruit is carefully monitored during the ripening stage and is harvested during the cooler evenings, at maximum flavour maturity and physiological ripeness.
