x
  • Country ranking ?

    74
  • Producer ranking ?

    25
  • Decanting time

    1h
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Asparagus with balsamic vinaigrette

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Cloudy Bay releases its 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, a vibrant and mouthwatering wine with notes of citrus, kaffir lime, passionfruit and white stone fruit. The Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc vineyards are located in the heart of the Wairau Valley in Marlborough, centered around the Cloudy Bay winery itself.

The 2018 growing season began in fine style, with settled conditions and no frost, leading to an early budburst and successful flowering. Warm and dry conditions through December encouraged flourishing canopy growth and good potential crop levels, and - while there were rain events during the latter part of the season - diligent work in the vineyards ensured that fruit was of optimum quality and brought into the winery in excellent condition.

Jim White, Technical Director of Cloudy Bay said: "In 2018, we have made a wine that tells the story of our vineyards, our culture and that quality of our fruit. There are challenges in any year, but we have learned over many years that focus in the vineyard is the key to a delicious wine."

In 2018, Cloudy Bay became foundation members of Appellation Marlborough Wine, an organization designed to protect the integrity, authenticity and brand value of wines produced in Marlborough. Sauvignon made under the AMW banner must be 100% from Marlborough, be made from lower-yielding vines, and be made and bottled in New Zealand.

Cloudy Bay's 2018 Sauvignon Blanc is Appellation Marlborough Wine certified.

Yang Shen, Cloudy Bay Estate Director and committee member of AMW said, "Cloudy Bay is proud to be part of this movement, and believe it is an important step towards ensuring that quality remains at the heart of Marlborough winemaking and in guaranteeing Marlborough's reputation for years to come."

 

 

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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.

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Wine Information

For its 34th vintage, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc reaffirms its outstanding quality.

Cloudy Bay has built a reputation for refined, elegant Sauvignon Blanc and the 2018 vintage is no exception thanks to the stable weather during the harvest. Warm and dry conditions through December and cooler weather from January onwards allowed for more steady ripening.
 

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

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Written Notes

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2018 / Pale gold, with glints of green.The tropical aromas in this vintage are reminiscent of passionfruit, Thai lime and apple blossom, with complementary hints of bright citrus.Concentrated and vibrant flavours of juicy stone fruits are underpinned by subtle tropical notes, a fine minerality and the acidity of Meyer lemon.

Periods of rain in the latter half of the growing season raised concerns about the 2018 harvest. However, diligent management in the vineyards ensured that, while yields were low, the grapes developed ripe flavours and ideal concentration and acidity. Matured in a mix of stainless steel, French oak and large-format vats, this vintage is characterised by its vibrancy.

 

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Information

Origin

Blenheim, Marlborough

Inside Information

In another tricky vintage, the team at Cloudy Bay has turned out one of their best recent efforts. The 2018 Sauvignon Blanc boasts notes of gooseberries and pineapple up front, and shows lovely harmony and roundness on the palate. It's medium-bodied and easy to drink, with hints of nectarine and pink grapefruit joining in on the creamy-textured palate and long, silky finish.

Score: 92 Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, March 2019
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