Saint Clair Saint Clair Pionee Block 10 Pinot Noir 2016

Colour: Dense ruby. Aroma: Aromas of dark forest berries, blackberry and blueberries with cedar and dark roasted coffee oak. Palate: A delicious full-bodied Pinot Noir with layers of ripe dark forest fruits and a rich velvet structure with fine grained silky tannin, fresh vanilla pod and dark toasted oak.

Winemakers: Matt Thomson & Hamish Clark The fruit was harvested when it 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 specially selected yeast was 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 50 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 (10 months). During time in oak, the young wine completed malolactic fermentation. The wine was then carefully extracted from oak, blended and prepared for bottling.

Outstanding fruit harvested from ‘The Barn’ vineyard alongside the home and luxury accommodation, Maison Grange (French for Barn House). This wine gathered a lot of awards such as: SILVER Medal - Sommelier Wine Awards 2018 3 STARS - Winestate Recent Releases 2017 BRONZE Medal - International Wine Challenge 2018 HIGHLY COMMENDED - Wine Merchant Top 100 2018