Saint Clair Family Estate is located in Marlborough , on the South Island of New Zealand . The owners, Neal and Judy Ibbotson , pioneered viticulture in Marlborough in 1978. They originally supplied their grapes to local wine companies. Convinced of being able to enhance the quality of their vineyards, they decided to create Saint Clair Family Estate in 1994. The vineyard now extends over six wine-growing sites, notably in the Awatere and Wairau valleys, as well as in the Gimblett Gravels area in Hawke's Bay. The plots are vinified separately to give winemakers plenty of options when blending. Saint Clair also sources its grapes through relationships with local producers. These vineyards take advantage of Marlborough's cool, dry climate, and a grading system allows growers to gauge which plots produce the best fruit each year. The vineyard is conducted using sustainable and environmentally friendly cultivation methods.