Saint Clair Tuatara Bay Pinot Noir 2016
Experience the vibrant red fruit flavours of this Pinot Noir. The cherry flavouring is complemented by hints of plums and red currants and drinks perfectly with red meat dishes. As a result of it's deep flavours this wine is an ideal selection for barbeques and can equally be paired with grilled fish, turkey or even blue cheese. The Tuatara which is a revered animal in New Zealand is a living dinosaur. It gets this name from it's ability to live for hundreds of years. This range of wines from Saint Clair have been named in honour of this remarkable animal.
Winery Information
The Saint Clair Family Estate was first settled by the Sinclair family. One of the estate's pioneers, James Sinclair, is closely associated with the founding of the town of Blenheim. Neal and Judy Ibbotson have owned the estate since 1978, tranforming it from a vineyard to a full wine making facility and joining the ranks of Marlborough winemakers to produce fine New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and other premium wines. The very first vintage from Saint Clair Wines won awards upon its release in 1994.
Saint Clair's sustainable approach to winemaking involves open canopy with good light and airflow, minimum use of sprays to control pests, and care given to individual vines to encourage good production. For instance, the vineyard empoloys leaf plucking and thinnning of fuits and shoots. They also encourage selection without cultivation as other of their sustainable practicses. They have been using a grading system since 2001 as a management tool and for assessing the quality of each vineyards wine batches.
Vinification
Selected yeasts were used for fermentation. The wine was hand plunged throughout fermentation. It was then gently pressed off its skins and underwent malolactic fermentation before being blended and gently prepared for bottling.
Viticulture
Fruit for this wine was sourced from carefully selected vineyard sites around Marlborough.
Tasting Note
Juicy red fruits dominate the palate. Ripe red plums, raspberry, red cherry balanced with good acidity and a subtle toasty finish
Everyday Serving Suggestion
Saint Clair Tuatara Bay Pinot Noir is perfect to enjoy on its own or with charcuterie meats or pheasant stew.
Country / Region / Appellation
NZ / Marlborough / Marlborough
Winemaker
Hamish Clark
Additional Resources:
http://www.saintclair.co.nz/