Saint Clair Vicars Choice Sauvignon Blanc

You might say that Neal and Judy Ibbotson of Saint Clair Family Estate are kind of pioneers of the Marlborough wine scene. As far back as 1978 they were supplying local wineries with grapes from their vineyard but in 1994 they decided they wanted to put their name on a bottle of wine.

Well, not their name. But someone else’s name. His name was James Sinclair and he was another real pioneer of the area and credited with building the first houses in the Blenheim area. Saint Clair is the name of the original property on the estate.

Saint Clair’s range includes the world class Reserve range and seriously good Pioneer Blocks. The Vicar’s Choice is named after an Anglican-vicar relative of theirs loved nothing more than a bottle of his favourite Saint Clair wine. So much so they decided to name this range after him! It’s what they call their ‘excellent value for money range’ and holy moly, we wouldn’t disagree.

These guys produce some of Marlborough’s top Sauvignon Blancs but hallelujah they can cut it at the value end of things too! This latest 2022 vintage scored 4 Stars and selected as a Best Buy pick in Cuisine magazine’s 2022 tasting. The Cuisine judges called it “An upfront and juicy nose with lovely nectarine and citrus aromas present alongside fresh green herbs which segue through to the palate. The palate has decent weight and nice intensity of flavour with clean fruit and tangy lip-smacking acid.”

Serve it chilled and pair with fresh kai moana or a portion of good old Kiwi fush ‘n’ chups.