Established in 1985, Cloudy Bay was one of the first five wine makers to venture into Marlborough. At the time, it was almost an unimaginable place to set-up a vineyard. But Cloudy Bay’s founder - David Hohnen - was convinced of its potential to produce great wine and invested in the best land of the region. Since then, Marlborough has risen to become New Zealand’s leading wine region, as well as one of the finest winemaking locations in the world. The winery was named after Cloudy Bay, a body of water explorer Captain James Cook came across during his voyage to New Zealand in 1770. His discovery coincided with flooding in the region, which washed large amounts of sediment into the sea. Noticing the water’s opaque appearance, Cook cleverly christened the area Cloudy Bay.Today, Cloudy Bay not only captures the essence of Marlborough but also embodies New Zealand's luxury to the world. The luxury of space and time, of intimate moments and nature’s rarest qualities.

Weather: With the exception of December, it was another dry year in Marlborough, it was not exceptionally hot, which allowed the fruit mature well without any undue stress on the vines. The dry weather was also a godsend for our vineyard team, with little disease pressure to worry about after Christmas. Canopy work was undertaken to ensure the bunches received optimum levels of exposure to allow full flavour development, with the resulting fruit proving concentrated and complex. The harvest took place in near-perfect weather, with sunny days and cool nights, and plenty of time to pick the fruit at the perfect maturity.

Following the harvest, the free-run juice was cold settled, before racking and inoculation with selected yeast. Fermentation was carried out primarily in stainless steel tanks, with approximately 4% of the blend fermented at warmer temperatures in old French oak barriques and large format oak vats. The Sauvignon Blanc was blended stringently from 91 different portions to include only the best.

Technical Information:
Grape: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Zew Zealand
Sub Region: Marlborough
Alcohol: 13.2 %
pH: 3.11
Acid: 7.2g/l
Residual Sugar: 2.4g/l
Closure: Screwcap
Drink: Now to 2028

Tasting Note: The 2020 Sauvignon Blanc is bright and focused, with appealing and expressive aromatics of ripe grapefruit, makrut lime and passionfruit on the nose. The palate is mouth-watering, with zesty lime, lemongrass and juicy stone fruit characters melding together, underpinned by a subtle minerality. The vibrant concentrated fruit and freshness bestow poise and balance, and lead through to a long and impressive finish, suggesting a wine that will age gracefully for many years.