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Wine Description
The Story
The iconic wine behind the Cloudy Bay tale
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.
Defined New Zealand's wine and established the Marlborough wine region globally.
Following the harvest, the free-run juice was cold-settled for 48-72 hours before racking. Fermentation was carried out primarily in stainless steel tanks, with approximately 7% of the blend fermented at warmer temperatures in old French oak barriques and large format vats. As usual, our Sauvignon Blanc was blended stringently to include only the best portions.
Wine Information
Current Tasting Notes
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010 has fresh acidity and displays a lovely spectrum of Sauvignon Blanc flavours and aromas. Zingy lime / grapefruit citrus, ripe tropical characters and delicate floral / herbal notes meld on the nose and palate. A small portion of barrel ferment adds weight and texture to the wine, nicely balanced by a mineral acid backbone. It is a wine of vibrant intensity and elegance .... and thoroughly refreshing.
Vineyard Notes
Grapes were sourced from estate and grower vineyards located in the Rapaura, Fairhall, Renwick and Brancott sub-regions of the Wairau Valley. Free draining, stony soils typify the Rapaura and Renwick areas whilst Fairhall and Brancott are predominantly aged alluvial loams containing some clay. The majority of fruit was grown on a vertical shoot positioned (VSP) trellis with three canes laid down. In 2010, average sauvignon blanc yields were 9 Tonnes/hectare (3.6 Tonnes/acre).
Winemaker Notes
The Sauvignon Blanc harvest commenced on 24th March under very settled autumn conditions. The first fruit was picked from the stonier, warmer blocks around the winery. Harvesting continued steadily during the month through the progressively later ripening sites, with the last fruit coming in on April 18th. Strict yield management paid off with classic Marlborough flavours and fresh acid levels attained in all blocks. The fruit was machine harvested during the cooler night and early morning temperatures. The grapes were de-stemmed and transferred straight to tank presses within hours of picking. Free run and lightly pressed juice was cold settled for 48–72 hours then racked and inoculated for primary ferment. The fermentations were carried out primarily in stainless steel tanks, however this year a small portion was barrel fermented in old French oak barriques enhancing mouthfeel and palate weight. At the blending bench, the winemakers selected only those batches that best reflected the characters expected from a diverse number of Marlborough vineyard sites before bottling in August. Final wine analysis shows an alcohol of 13.5%, pH of 3.14 and titratable acidity 7.7 g/L.
Ratings
91 Points
Wine Spectator ~ 2011 March
“Tangerine, mango and citrus flavors are pure and focused, smooth, round and wonderfully refreshing, with peach, Key lime pie, mineral and floral elements that really take off on the finish.” - MaryAnn Worobiec