2025 Saint Clair Pioneer Block 3 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough

Delightful gooseberry, apple, peach and nectarine fruit deftly lattices the plush leesy texture and steely acid line. Long and charming with a stirring saline edge.

95 points & Gold at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards

The Pioneer Block wines from Saint Clair are premium parcel selections from a single vineyard that are selected for showing specific, interesting qualities that set them apart from other parts of the site.

This wine comes from a vineyard close to the town of Blenheim in the lower Wairau. Farmed by Mark and Kate O’Sullivan, the low-lying maritime site features fertile, deep and free-draining silty loam soils and tends to be slower to ripen than the neighbouring properties.

The fruit was pressed minimising skin contact, settled and fermented with a selected yeast in stainless steel at cool temperatures. This batch was selected as a Pioneer Block wine due to its unique flavour, intensity and complexity compared to other parcels from the Wairau.

Drinking well on release, the style is not intended for cellaring. Enjoy its vibrant, fresh character with fresh oysters or a grilled white fish with a side salad featuring generous amounts of herbs.

About this producer

Saint Clair Family Estate was established in 1994 by Neal and Judy Ibbotson, with their children Sarina, Tony and Julie today involved in all aspects of the operations. The family farms a substantial 160 of vineyards, and sources fruit through an extensive network of contract growers. Marlborough and its subregions have been the focus from the beginning, while smaller amount of premium red wines is made from fruit grown in the Gimblett Gravels area of Hawke’s Bay. Stewart Maclenann and Kyle Thompson are the current leaders of the winery team that each vintage creates an impressively broad line-up of wines.