Pinot Noir “Tuatara Bay” 2021 – Saint Clair

Each parcel of Pinot Noir Tuatara Bay Saint Clair was cool macerated for five days to help achieve flavour and colour extraction. Selected yeasts were used for fermentation and the wine was hand plunged at the height of fermentation. Pinot Noir Tuatara Bay Saint Clair  was then gently pressed and racked off the gross lees to either stainless steel tanks or a combination of new and older seasoned French oak, where 100% underwent malolactic fermentation before being blended, fined, lightly filtered and gently prepared for bottling.

The fruit was sourced from a number of specifically selected low cropping vineyards from the Southern Valleys region of Marlborough. Leading up to the harvest, each vineyard was closely monitored and the grapes were tasted to determine when the flavours were at their optimum. Harvesting took place during the cool of the morning to retain the freshness and vibrancy of flavour in the berries.

The Saint Clair winery is run from 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”.