Cloudy Bay releases 30th anniversary Sauvignon

Marlborough’s Cloudy Bay has released a celebratory 2015 vintage of its Sauvignon Blanc to mark the winery’s 30th anniversary.

The Cloudy Bay winery was founded in 1985 by David Hohnen, the founder of Margaret River Winery Cape Mentelle, and has played a key role in helping raise the international profile of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Compared to its first vintage in 1985, which was produced in a very damp year, the 2015 vintage was produced from a harvest that followed the driest summer on record. Grapes for the Cloudy Bay 2015 Sauvignon Blanc were handpicked from vineyards in Rapaura, Fairhall, Renqick and Brancot sub regions of the Wairau Valley, with the harvest completing in April making it the second earliest finish ever at Cloudy Bay.

Fermentation was carried out in stainless steel tanks, with approximately 10% of the juice fermented at warmer temperatures in old French oak barriques and large format oak vats.

The resulting wine is described as having “vibrant citrus aromatics of grapefruit and kaffir lime”, opening out to reveal “ripe, juicy stone fruit and lemongrass”.

This is the first release from the dramatically reduced 2015 New Zealand vintage, caused by a cool spring which affected fruit set in vineyards. Ian Morden, the producer’s estate director, warned earlier this year that increasing grape scarcity and demand was likely to push up prices of Cloudy bay wines.

While New Zealand harvested a record of 445,000 tonnes of grapes in 2014, this year the tonnage was just 320,000, representing a drop of 27%, taking the quantity back to similar levels seen in the 2013 vintage. Around 72% of all New Zealand’s harvest is accounted for by Sauvignon Blanc, while almost 77% of the country’s tonnage comes from one region: Marlborough, the home of Cloudy Bay.

Commenting on the 2015 vintage earlier this year, Philip Gregan, CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers said: “Given the smaller vintage and the rising demand of New Zealand wine overseas there will be a shortage of vintage 2015 wines, notably Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.”

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2015 is available from Ocado, Majestic, Berry Bros. and Sainsbury’s with an RSP of £23.00