Saint Clair2022 Pinot Noir Pioneer Block 15 ‘Strip Block’, Saint Clair
Marlborough, South Island, New ZealandVintage: 2022
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.
Whats in the bottle
100% Pinot Noir
£2395 Original price was: £2395.£2000Current price is: £2000.
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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 harvested when it had reached full physiological ripeness and maximum flavour maturity. At the winery, the fruit was held cold for five days prior to fermentation to help extract maximum flavour and to enhance colour stability. Specially selected cultured yeasts were used to carry out the primary alcoholic fermentation during which the fermenting must was hand plunged up to six times daily at the peak of fermentation. When fermentation was completed, the wine was racked off gross lees to a combination of 25% new French oak and older seasoned 225-litre oak barriques. During maturation,n the barrels were regularly tasted until the right balance was achieved over a period of ten months. During this time in oak, the young wine completed malolactic conversion. The wine was then carefully extracted from the oak, blended and prepared for bottling.
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