Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc and the Wine That Put Marlborough on the Map
David Hohnen, already the man behind Cape Mentelle in Margaret River, tasted his first Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in 1983 and was struck by its intensity. Two years later, in 1985, he and winemaker Kevin Judd bottled the first Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, as one of the first five wineries in Marlborough. The wine drew international attention almost immediately and did a great deal to build New Zealand wine's reputation abroad.
The name comes from the coast itself. Captain James Cook named Cloudy Bay in 1770, and since 2014 the bay officially carries its dual name, Te Koko-o-Kupe / Cloudy Bay, after the Polynesian navigator Kupe, who in legend dredged oysters there. The winery sits in the Wairau Valley near Blenheim.
The classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is still the heart of the range. Most of it comes from parcels near the Wairau River, where the soils are stony, sandy and free-draining. Fermentation happens mainly in stainless steel to keep the fruit bright, while a small share is fermented in large oak barrels or with wild yeasts for extra texture. It remains the benchmark for what Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough tastes like.
Te Koko: Cloudy Bay's Wild-Fermented, Barrel-Aged Sauvignon Blanc
Te Koko is the other face of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. The fruit comes from older vines in the Wairau Valley, and the juice ferments in French oak barrels with indigenous yeasts, slowly, over four to five months. Malolactic fermentation, usually avoided in Sauvignon Blanc, is allowed to happen, and the wine then rests on fine lees in barrel for around 15 months. The result is richer and more layered than the classic bottling, a white wine for the table rather than the aperitif. The winery suggests the 2023 can age for five to ten years, and it is lovely with crispy pork belly or smoked salmon.
Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir from Marlborough and Central Otago
Cloudy Bay has made Pinot Noir since 1994. The Marlborough Pinot Noir grows on the cool clay soils and north-facing slopes of the Southern Valleys, which hold more water than the gravels of the Wairau floor. The grapes ferment in open-top vats with wild yeast and a share of whole bunches, then spend around 11 months in French oak. Chardonnay from the same clay soils and the stony Wairau completes the Marlborough range.
Te Wāhi, meaning "the place", is the Central Otago Pinot Noir and was the first Cloudy Bay wine made from grapes grown outside Marlborough, first released with the 2010 vintage. It blends two very different sites: Calvert, on Felton Road in Bannockburn, on silty lake-bed soils that give fragrant, opulent fruit, and Northburn, on the rocky glacial slopes above Lake Dunstan, which brings structure. After open-top fermentation and a year or more in French oak, it shows boysenberry, plum and cherry with a line of dark chocolate. Vintages from 2016 to 2021 show how it develops with time.
Cloudy Bay FAQ
Is Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc oaked?
Only a touch. The classic bottling is fermented mostly in stainless steel. Te Koko is the fully barrel-fermented and barrel-aged version.
What is Cloudy Bay Te Koko?
Te Koko is a wild-fermented Sauvignon Blanc from older Wairau Valley vines, aged around 15 months on lees in French oak. It is named after Te Koko-o-Kupe, the Māori name for Cloudy Bay.
What is the difference between Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir and Te Wāhi?
Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir comes from the clay soils of Marlborough's Southern Valleys. Te Wāhi is a Central Otago Pinot Noir blended from the Calvert and Northburn vineyards, with deeper fruit and more structure.
Who owns Cloudy Bay?
Cloudy Bay was founded by David Hohnen in 1985 and was acquired by Veuve Clicquot in 2003. It is now part of the LVMH wine and spirits group.
How long can you keep Cloudy Bay wines?
The classic Sauvignon Blanc is made to be enjoyed young and fresh. Te Koko and Te Wāhi are built to age, and the winery suggests five to ten years for recent vintages of both.