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Saint Clair Bull Block 2007 Pinot Noir
 With
all the talk about the current recession, it is good to hear some
good news from New Zealand businesses and Saint Clair Family Estate
is one of those companies. While there is a tendency for New Zealand
buyers to trade down, certain market segments have remained steady,
while others have improved.
Saint Clair’s exports to Western Australia, Sweden, Ireland and
parts of Asia, just to name a few are flourishing and the demand for
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is growing at the phenomenal rate of 25%
per year.
Saint Clair attributes their current success not only to its
well-establishes international profile and award winning wines but
to the tight-knit nature of the family owned and operated winery.
Managing Director for Saint Clair Family Estate, Neal Ibbotson,
comments, “We truly value our team. Whether they are highly
experienced, qualified wine makers, or contracted cellar hands, each
and everyone of them becomes part of our family and committed to our
philosophy of producing quality wine we would all be proud to drink.
People may be trading down, but long term they still look for a good
drop rather than a cheap one. Quality wine floats to the top.”
Of course Saint Clair makes a range of wines, and while I have
mentioned Sauvignon Blanc growth, this week I have chosen a red to
review. The Pioneer Block 5 Bull Block Pinot Noir of 2007 vintage to
be exact. The reason for this is that heading for winter and with
some cooler days thoughts switch from a chilled white to a room
temperature red. Maybe it could also be thoughts of Earth Hour and
somehow a red wine with a candlelight dinner for two seems more
romantic. Anyway, while some of Saint Clair’s market segments are a
bit bullish at present, I tried the Bull Block red from the
Hawkesbury region of the Omaka Valley, south of Blenheim.
The former Jersey Bull Stud experiences very warm days and cool
nights on its clay rich vigour-moderating soils, contributing to
small berries giving the wine power, concentration and intensity.
The fruit is also grown under the watchful eye of one of Saint
Clair’s most dedicated growers in the Omaka Valley.
Fruit from this block was harvested later in the growing season to
allow a longer ripening period to increase the intensity of flavours
in the fruit. Once harvested, the fruit was held cold at the winery
for four to five days prior to ferment in order to help extract
maximum flavour and add to colour stability. Cultures yeasts were
used to ferment the wine. During ferment, the must was hand plunged
up to six times a day. Once dry, each batch was pressed to tank and
then racked off gross lees to French Oak. The wine then underwent
malolactic fermentation and was aged for nine months in barrels
before being blended and prepared for bottling.
I found the resulting ruby red wine to have wonderful aromas of dark
plum and cherry. On the palate, the plum is again present along with
the flavours of ripe black cherry and toasty oak. It is a rich,
powerful palate with deep savoury notes and a long lingering finish,
that in my mind will accompany beef dishes well. I can also
recommend it with roast lamb, and would also suggest trying it with
lamb chops.
If you can resist temptation, I would also expect the 2007 Saint
Clair Pioneer Block 5 Bull Block Pinot Noir to cellar well for up to
five years.
Reviewed by Stephen Clark (14/9/2009)
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