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A luscious Pinot Noir with ripe damson plums complemented by aromatic floral notes. Smooth and opulent, with wild red fruit, cherry and spicy plum flavours enveloped in a fine, silky structure finishing with a hint of toasty oak.
The grapes are selected from the single vineyard “Doctor’s Creek” block, named after the small stream which runs through the centre. The vineyard is situated southwest of Blenheim where the soils are made up of clay and are rich, vigour moderating soils.
The 2022 Pioneer Block 15 ‘Strip Block’ Pinot Noir from Saint Clair Family Estate is a beautifully perfumed, site-driven wine that captures the finesse and fruit purity of Marlborough’s southern valleys. Saint Clair, a family-owned winery founded by Neal and Judy Ibbotson, has become one of New Zealand’s most awarded producers. Renowned for their commitment to quality and innovation, the estate focuses on small, distinct parcels, known as Pioneer Blocks, that showcase the exceptional diversity of Marlborough terroir.
‘Strip Block’ takes its name from a narrow strip of aged, devigorating soils found at the base of the southern foothills of the lower Waihopai Valley. This unique micro-site, with its clay-based soil and slight northerly aspect, naturally limits vine vigour and promotes concentration in the fruit.
In the glass, the 2022 Strip Block Pinot Noir is elegant and expressive, offering lifted aromas of bright red cherry, wild raspberry, and subtle floral notes. The palate is finely textured with a rich, rounded mouthfeel, underpinned by silky tannins and a refined thread of charry oak that adds gentle structure and complexity. The balance between ripe fruit, minerality, and freshness gives the wine both charm and ageing potential.
Dark garnet colour in the glass with aromas layered with blueberry and blackcurrant fruits, intermingled with dark chocolate aromas. The palate is concentrated and fruit-driven with ripe red berries and dark fruits filling the senses. Delicate tannin and savoury oak notes to finish. Well-matched with garlic and rosemary lamb rack with a side of fresh lettuce and pistachio salad.
Drinking beautifully now, this wine can be enjoyed young or with careful cellaring will mature into a more complex wine that can be enjoyed for the next three years.
The fruit is sourced from a number of specifically chosen low cropping vineyards from the Southern Valleys region of the Wairau Plain. The vines are grown in very clay-rich, vigour moderating soils. Each vineyard is closely monitored and tasted to determine when the flavours were at their optimum and harvested in the cool of the morning.
The Reserve wines from Saint Clair represent the estate’s pinnacle wines – the best of the best. This 2021 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.
