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There is a bay at the easternmost end of the Wairau Valley in Marlborough, New Zealand's South Island. In 1770, a captain named Cook named the bay "The Wairau Valley" during his voyage to New Zealand. Bay". This is where the name Cloudy Bay comes from. The winery was established in 1985 and was one of the first five wineries in Marlborough. Highly regarded since its inception, the winery quickly became recognized worldwide as a standard producer of white wines. Cloudy Bay's critical acclaim paved the way for the successful promotion of New Zealand wines around the world.
Region
The winery owns 140 hectares of vineyards and currently has long-term contracts with five other vineyards in the Wairau Valley. The wines produced are all high-quality products with small quantity and high quality, including the best in white wine. Among them, the winery's unbarrel Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay white wine, and even Pinot Noir red wine have all been ranked among the top 100 rankings of "Wine Spectator", the largest professional wine magazine in the United States. The winery's "Te Koko" barrel-soaked Sauvignon Blanc is a dream product favored by many international wine critics. Innovation, meticulous attention to detail and an insistence on regional identity are what Cloudy Bay is all about. Now, the winery is also actively promoting vineyard management methods that are more harmonious with the environment.
Cloudy Bay has been committed to developing the scale of the winery in recent years in the hope of producing wines of excellent quality. The winery believes that the future success of professional wineries must start from brewing this unique regional grape, select the most suitable grape varieties for brewing in the production area, and combine the characteristics of each grape variety with the natural environmental conditions. A winery style that is recognized and irreplaceable.
Winemaking
Te Wāhi is a blend of two distinct vineyards. Northburn, nestled on the steep eastern shores of Lake Dunstan, boasts a harsh rocky glacial soil that produces compact, intensely flavored fruit. Calvert, located on Felton Road in Bannockburn, is nestled in silty clay soils reminiscent of an ancient lakebed, producing rich, aromatic fruit.
Grapes from two complementary Central Otago vineyards are mostly destemmed and fermented in open vats, with some fermented whole-bunch. In spring, the wines undergo extended maceration and natural malolactic fermentation. After fermentation, the wines are batch-aged in French oak barrels for approximately 12 months, 30% of which are new.
Rating / Tasting Note
James Suckling 94 pts
Plenty of ripe and dried strawberries with a slate and metal-shavings undertone on the nose and palate. Medium-bodied, it has soft and exquisite tannins and a long and caressing finish. One of the best pinot noirs I have had from Cloudy Bay.
Wine Enthusiast 93 pts
Supple blueberry and blackberry fruit is well at the fore on this premium Pinot, followed by far subtler dried herb, cedar and licorice notes. There's a level of round richness and concentration to the palate, a silky texture and a lovely tangy acidity. Tannins are fine grained with a sandpaper texture, supporting rather than dominating.
