Description

ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
Neal and Judy Ibbotson were pioneers in the Marlborough wine industry, first planting vineyards in the valley in 1978 and then establishing Saint Clair Family Estate in 1994. They own 160 hectares of vineyard in 10 different Marlborough locations chosen specifically for the attributes of their individual “terroir” and ability to produce top quality grapes. Neal Ibbotson combines his extensive expertise in viticulture with the talent of one of New Zealand’s leading winemaking teams. Since 1994, when wines from the first vintage all won medals including gold, the name Saint Clair has been synonymous with quality and its award-winning record continues today. This is a sentiment shared by Bob Campbell MW, who says “Saint Clair now makes the country’s and perhaps the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc”.

THE VINTAGE:
2022 saw a typical very warm October, November and December, which allowed for a good solid fruit set. However, an unusually very wet and cold February created a disease risk which was a real potential threat to the success of harvest. Fortunately, a very dry period from 20th February until the 20th March was exactly what was required. Outstanding autumn conditions with warm days and cool nights, enabled the grapes to remain healthy and ripen to the desired levels.

ABOUT THE VINEYARD:
Omaka in Maori means the ‘place of the stream’. The grapes were sourced primarily from Saint Clair’s vineyards in Marlborough’s Omaka Valley where a combination of warm days, cool nights and clay based soils contribute to greater retention of fruit flavours. The fruit is a blend of Chardonnay clones, predominantly Mendoza and Burgundian Clone 95. The vines were monitored carefully during ripening and hand harvested at optimum flavour maturity and physiological ripeness.

THE WINEMAKING PROCESS:
The fruit was carefully hand-picked and lightly whole bunch pressed. The must was barrel fermented in American oak (50% new, 25% second fill, 25% third fill), using selected yeast strains. The wine went through malolactic conversion in barrel, followed by maturation its lees for 10 months with regular stirring. Only the best barrels from each batch were selected to use in the final blend of the Omaka Reserve Chardonnay.

OUR TASTING NOTES:
An elegant and silky wine of great concentration and finesse. Full bodied and generous with layers of ripe charred stone fruits combined with a touch of vanilla. Rich and textured with a smoky oak character on the lingering finish.

GRAPE VARIETY:
Chardonnay 100%.

AWARDS:
• Silver, International Wine Challenge, 2024
• 97 Points, Decanter World Wine Awards, 2024