Colour:
Golden hue.

Aroma:
Fresh pear and fig.

Palate:
An elegant and silky palate with flavours of clover honey, dried pineapple and a hint of burnt orange. Well balanced acidity leads to a clean fresh finish.

Ageing Potential:
Drinking beautifully now and will be at its best over the next ten years.

Viticulture:
Proximity to the ocean sees stronger maritime influences on the single vineyard in the lower Wairau Valley where fruit for the Saint Clair Reserve Noble Sauvignon Blanc was grown. The daytime temperatures are warm, facilitating ripening, while the night temperatures are typically cooler than the central and upper parts of the Wairau Valley. This promotes increased hang time and flavour development. Fruit was left to hang until botrytised.

Nutrient-rich soils deposited over time due to non-erosive flooding (prior to stop bank flood protection being introduced) have formed even and fertile sites. The nutrient hungry Sauvignon Blanc vines utilise this fertility to produce extremely concentrated flavours and aromas.

Winemaking:
Botrytised fruit was hand-harvested late in the season at 35 Brix, gently crushed, lightly fined and racked before inoculating with selected yeast. Following a long temperature controlled ferment to retain the concentrated flavours, the wine was delicately filtered and prepped for bottling with minimal handling.

Wine Analysis:
Alcohol 12% v/v, Residual sugar 127g/L, Acidity 9.7g/litre, pH 3.56

Food Match:
An exceptional food wine to accompany sticky baklava, fruit tart or blue cheese.

Vegan Friendly