Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc - 750ml

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc is produced in the Wairau Valley of Marlborough, at the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island — a region that Cloudy Bay's founding vintage in 1985 was instrumental in establishing as one of the world's foremost appellations for the variety. The vineyards span three Wairau Valley sub-regions — Rapaura, Renwick, and Brancott Valley — across free-draining gravelly soils of varying depth over clay subsoil, with key blocks including the estate's own Motukawa, Widow's Block, and Red Shed vineyards. Marlborough's maritime climate delivers the longest sunshine hours of any region in New Zealand, while pronounced diurnal temperature variation preserves the natural acidity that defines the regional style. The winery, now owned by LVMH and operated in partnership with Veuve Clicquot, has maintained consistent quality and regional identity across four decades of production.

Each vintage is assembled from over 80 individual vineyard lots, fermented separately to preserve site-specific character before blending — a process from which the winemaking team selects only the best-performing parcels regardless of volume. The majority of the wine ferments in stainless steel at controlled temperatures to preserve the variety's primary aromatic compounds, while a small proportion — approximately three to five percent — ferments in older French oak barrels and large oak vats, contributing a subtle textural roundness without introducing wood flavor to the finished blend. The wine is aged briefly on fine lees before bottling, a period that adds weight and a gentle saline quality to the mid-palate.

The nose is vibrant and aromatic — peach, elderflower, makrut lime, and freshly squeezed citrus opening into subtle tropical fruit and a thread of fresh blackcurrant leaf. The palate is concentrated and precise, with ripe stone fruit and passionfruit balanced by lemongrass, Meyer lemon, and a refreshing sea salt minerality that is characteristic of the Wairau Valley's gravelly coastal terroir. The finish is long and steel-cut, closing on citrus acidity and a clean, lingering dune grass note that anchors the wine firmly in its Marlborough origin.