Saint Clair2021 Omaka Reserve Pinot Noir, Saint Clair
Marlborough, South Island, New ZealandVintage: 2021
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.
Why we love it
Elegant, powerful, perfumed and perfectly balanced.
Notable Awards
GOLD MEDAL – China Wine & Spirits 2020
GOLD MEDAL – Royal Easter Show Wine Awards 2021
GOLD MEDAL – NZ International Wine Show 2020
5 STARS – Winestate NZ Marlborough 2020
Whats in the bottle
100% Pinot Noir
12 Mixed Bottles *
£26.96
Save £3.00
* As part of a mixed case of any 12 bottles
Free UK delivery on orders over £250. Free South Wales delivery on orders over £100
Tel : 02922 337454
Purchase & earn 30 points!
Description
Neal and Judy Ibbotson were pioneers in the Marlborough wine industry, first planting vineyards in the valley in 1978 and then establishing Saint Clair Family Estate in 1994. They own 160 hectares of vineyard in 10 different Marlborough locations chosen specifically for the attributes of their individual “terroir” and ability to produce top-quality grapes. Neal Ibbotson combines his extensive expertise in viticulture with the talent of one of New Zealand’s leading winemaking teams led by Hamish Clark. Since 1994, when wines from the first vintage all won medals, including gold, the name Saint Clair has been synonymous with quality, and its award-winning record continues today. This is a sentiment shared by Bob Campbell MW, who says, “Saint Clair now makes the country’s and perhaps the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc”.
The fruit was cold-soaked for five days prior to fermentation to help extract maximum flavour and to enhance colour stability. 18% whole cluster bunches were added to the fermentation to add a stems component and another layer of complexity. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks with selected yeasts; the fermenting must was hand plunged up to six times daily at the peak of fermentation. At dryness, the wine was pressed, then racked off the gross lees to a mixture of 40% new French oak and older seasoned 225-litre oak barriques. The wine was aged for 10 months during which time it underwent malolactic conversion. The wine was then carefully extracted from oak, blended and prepared for bottling.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.