Cloudy Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016 32nd Vintage
100% Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand.
On the nose a vibrant mix of kaffir lime, lemon zest and nectarine aromatics intermingle with the bright perfume of orange blossom. The palate is brimming with ripe citrus and stone fruit flavours that are framed by sleek and succulent acid architecture.
Winemakers Notes:
Harvest
The Sauvignon Blanc harvest commenced on March 31st and was complete on April 14th. Fruit was picked over a range of 22.7-20.8 °Bx with excellent flavours and acid balance.
Vinification
Following harvest, the free-run juice was cold settled for 48-72 hours before racking. Fermentation was primarily carried out in stainless steel tanks with a mixture of cultured yeasts and wild yeast. Approximately 3% of the blend was fermented at warmer temperature in old French oak barriques and large format vats. As usual our Sauvignon was stringently blended, including only the strongest batches.
Tim Heath Chief Wine Maker Cloudy Bay comments:-
"Since 1985, Cloudy Bay has built a reputation for refined Sauvignon Blanc and the 2016 vintage is no exception.
The season was one of the driest that the Marlborough region has experienced since the wine industry was established in the province.
In the beginning, a cool start to the growing season presented numerous frost events and these continued to present challenges right up until flowering.
Following this, we experienced favourable flowering conditions which produced a high number of bunches per vine. These were moderated with thinning in
November and then again prior to veraison, resulting in yields at target levels with excellent fruit quality.
Seasonally, the months of January to April 2016 were all warmer than average, providing ripening conditions that were similar to the excellent 2015, 2014 and 2010 vintages in terms of growing degree days.
Once harvested, the free-run juice was cold settled for 48-72 hours before racking and fermentation was primarily carried out in stainless steel with a mixture of cultured and wild yeasts. As in previous years, a portion of the juice was fermented at warmer temperatures in old French oak barriques and large format oak vats, to build palate weight and texture. As usual, our Sauvignon Blanc was stringently blended, including only the strongest batches.
Brimming with kaffir lime, lemon zest and nectarine aromatics and an orange blossom perfume, our 2016 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc is vibrant and bright. On the palate, its ripe citrus and stone fruit flavours complement the sleek acid architecture characteristic of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.
The 2016 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc is an exceptional expression of Marlborough and our flagship variety."