Saint Clair James Sinclair Malbec 2020

Neal and Judy have been viticulture pioneers in Marlborough since 1978. Originally, they planted vines on the behalves of other winemakers. after more than a decade in the business, they built the establishment of Saint Clair Family Estate in 1994.

Pioneer James Sinclair built one of the first homes in Blenheim, and was closely associated with the early development of the town. Over time, the name of the property reverted back to the original Saint Clair, which is where the Saint Clair name originated from. Their James Sinclair range of wines are some best single vineyard expressions in the country, worth paying a little extra, and in some cases, careful cellaring.

Malbec is a black skinned variety, originated in South-west France. Now, it’s a sub-international variety, commonly found in many vine-growing countries. It’s not amongst the most popular choices in New Zealand, nonetheless been planted by many in Hawke’s Bay area.

The Malbec fruit used in this wine had been sourced exclusively from Gimblett Gravels wine-growing district of Hawke’s Bay. The vigour moderating, free draining gravel provides a superb base for the low cropping vines. These vineyard sites have ideal ripening conditions for achieving the intense aromatics and dense structure ripe Malbec can give. The fruit was carefully monitored during ripening and harvested in the cool evening at maximum flavour maturity and physiological ripeness.

The fruit was held cold for four days prior to ferment to help extract maximum flavour and to enhance colour stability. It was inoculated to carry out the primary alcoholic fermentation during which the fermenting must was hand plunged up to four times daily. When dry the
young wine was pressed and then racked off its gross lees to new and seasoned French oak. It underwent malolactic fermentation for six
months, and remained on lees for 10 months. The wine was gently extracted from oak, blended and carefully prepared for bottling.

Consider the wine’s intense tannin, and dark fruit, cocoa aroma. Food matching should be nothing less of a prime steak topped by mushroom or wine sauce, a lot of cracked pepper if desired.