Saint Clair Family Estate

Neal and Judy Ibbotson founded the Saint Clair estate in 1978, starting by growing grapes to sell to local wineries. Drawing on their combined experience, they decided together to produce their first vintage in 1994: their first wine was thus born. 

The name has been retained and originates from a family that settled in the vineyard: the Sinclairs, a prominent family that contributed to the development of the city of Blenheim in its time. 

Saint Clair Family Estate is , as its name suggests, an estate that today upholds family values: the son handles all label designs through his own company, while the daughters manage the estate’s sales and marketing. 

Benefiting from a combination of soils and climates unique to the Marlborough region, the Saint Clair team prioritizes meticulous viticulture and is committed to respecting this exceptional environment. To this end, they work each year to reduce their carbon footprint, support the environment, and use as few chemicals and non-recyclable packaging as possible in their operations. 

In particular,Saint Clair reuses fermented grape skins as mulch in the vineyards of the Marlborough region

They achieve 30% water savings by using subsurface irrigation across all of Saint Clair’s vineyards, as opposed to above-ground technology.

50% of Saint Clair’s forklift fleet is electric. 

Saint Clair wines are produced in winemaking facilities that are 100% SWNZ-certified (Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, an industry-wide certification program led by New Zealand winemakers), and their labels are all made from recycled paper and eco-friendly ink.

With 30 years of experience, an exceptional terroir, and a team of experts, Saint Clair Family Estateis oneof New Zealand’s largest wineries, having won numerous awards for its exceptionally high-quality, flavorful, and delightfully unique wines: a true Favorite.