Saint Clair Pinot Noir “Pionneer Block 14

Neal and Judy have been viticulture pioneers in Marlborough since 1978. The grapes from their vineyard were originally supplied to local wine companies, however they wanted to showcase the quality they had achieved in their vineyards through to the finished wine as well. This desire is what led to the establishment of Saint Clair Family Estate in 1994.

The property where this vineyard is located was first settled by the Sinclair family. Pioneer James Sinclair built one of the first homes in Blenheim, and was closely associated with the early development of the town. Over time, the name of the property reverted back to the original Saint Clair, which is where the Saint Clair name originated from.

Saint Clair Family Estate was founded by Neal and Judy Ibbotson who are the directors of the winery with more than 30 years viticulture knowledge of the Marlborough region. The company is a family business with the next generation also involved.

Son Tony is responsible for the design of all Saint Clair’s packaging, promotional material and advertising. He owns a design consultancy business, the Creative Method, in Sydney. Tony designed the original Saint Clair labels back in 1994, when he was a student. He has been refining and expanding the range of Saint Clair labels ever since.

Daughters Sarina and Julie both work within the business in sales and marketing after studying wine business marketing at Adelaide.

With quality as a company value it is essential that the very best fruit is sourced and utilised to make the best wine possible, and hence adhere to a core company value.

Neal and Judy Ibbotson are viticulture pioneers within Marlborough. Judy planted the first vineyard in 1978 (with three pre-schoolers and a group of ladies) which was one of the first vineyards within the Marlborough region.

Over the last 30 years Neal and Judy have both developed a great deal of viticulture knowledge themselves and hence recognise the true importance of the understanding of viticulture to the final product.

Jarrah Prior is Saint Clair’s head viticulturist. He comes with a wealth of experience both within winemaking and viticulture. Saint Clair Family Estate utilise a mixture of fruit from contract growers combined with fruit from estate grown vineyards.

Jarrah communicates Saint Clair’s values and shares his viticulture expertise with the contract growers. With an added incentive to growers who provide exceptional quality fruit, grape growers will continue to strive for excellence.

BLOCK: 14 Region: Produced from the Doctor’s Creek vineyard, south-west of Blenheim. Terroir: Soils: Clay rich, vigour moderating soil. Topography: Flat, even land. Climate: Slightly cooler nights than further up the Wairau Valley with a slower, longer ripening period. Regional characteristics and contribution to uniqueness of flavours: The cooler Doctor’s Creek area consistently produces fragrant and appealing aromatics. Viticulture: The fruit was sourced from Saint Clair’s own vineyard at Doctor’s Creek. The grapes harvested for this wine are from clones 115 and 667 with a whole cluster component of 9 per cent. Colour: Deep dark red. Aroma: Aromatic floral notes combined with red berry notes and a slight earthy richness. Palate: Full bodied with Morello cherry flavours and a fine silky structure showing fresh vanilla pod, blackberry and blueberry with spice on the finish. Ageing: Perfect for drinking immediately this wine will continue to develop for at least another five years.

Winemaking: 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. A small amount of whole cluster (9 per cent) was added to the fermentation to add a stems component to the mix. Specially selected cultured yeast 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. At dryness the wine was pressed, then racked off gross lees to a mixture of 40 per cent new French oak and older seasoned 225 litre oak barriques. During maturation the barrels were regularly tasted until the right balance was achieved (ten months). During this time in oak, the young wine completed malolactic fermentation. The wine was then carefully extracted from oak, blended and prepared for bottling. Wine analysis: Alcohol 13.5% v/v, Titratable Acidity 5.5g/litre, pH 3.61 Food match: Perfectly matched with rack of lamb and new potatoes.