Saint Clair Block 10 Twin Hills Marlborough Chardonnay 2021

Saint Clair Block 10 Twin Hills Marlborough Chardonnay 2021French oak Ripe citrus Roasted hazelnut Rich & creamy Pale straw. Complex aromas of preserved lemon, sweet oak and roasted almond. The palate is round and full with flavours of ripe citrus, roasted hazelnut and a toasty oak note. Nine months maturation on lees in French oak barrels has assisted with creating a rich creaminess and fine tannin structure. This wine will continue to evolve and develop complexity over the next five years and beyond. Fruit

• French oak
• Ripe citrus
• Roasted hazelnut
• Rich & creamy

Pale straw. Complex aromas of preserved lemon, sweet oak and roasted almond. The palate is round and full with flavours of ripe citrus, roasted hazelnut and a toasty oak note. Nine months maturation on lees in French oak barrels has assisted with creating a rich creaminess and fine tannin structure. This wine will continue to evolve and develop complexity over the next five years and beyond.

Fruit was predominantly sourced from the valley between twin peaks in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys sub-region. This is a warmer site than in some other areas of Marlborough with good diurnal temperature changes which contributes to greater retention of fruit flavours.

Careful crop manipulation to ensure vine balance is essential for this highly prolific and large bunch producing variety.

The fruit was partially handpicked and whole bunch pressed to ensure the vineyard characters and fruit flavours were preserved. The juice was barrel fermented in 100 per cent French oak (33 per cent new oak barrels) using selected yeast strains. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation, followed by 9 months aging on yeast lees with regular stirring. Only the best barrels were selected for the Twin Hills Pioneer Block wine.

Food Pairing:Seared chicken breast with pine nut salad.