Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2022

Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2022   

Grape: 100% Pinot Noir, destemmed with 5% whole bunches used, wild yeast fermentation, 11 months' maturation in French oak barrels (30% new)

Producer Tasting Note:

Open and expressive on the nose, with notes of wild hedgerow fruits, crushed rose petals and sun-warmed red cherry. The palate is finely tuned, with silky tannins and a pure dart of acidity framing and balancing out a core of summer berries, soft spices and a touch of biscuity vanilla. Long on the finish, this wine evokes warm summer evenings, strawberries nestled under shaded leaves and the lingering scent of barbecue smoke.

Critic's Tasting Note:

"The 2022 Pinot Noir is creamy and spicy, with poached strawberries, sumac, some oak that pokes through and plenty of chalky tannin. The wine feels a little "elbows and knees" currently; but the cuvée ages well, and this appears to have all it needs to go some distance in the cellar. It's light in frame but with persistent flavor. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap."

90+/100 points, Erin Larkin, WINE ADVOCATE, February 2025

Fruit for this Pinot Noir comes from the cool clay soils and rolling, north-facing slopes of Marlborough’s Southern Valleys region. The aged alluvial gravels and dense clay subsoils balance drainage and water availability to yield the region's best Pinot Noir grapes. Key blocks include the Mustang, Delta and Barracks vineyards.

Food Pairing:

Pair with a wide variety of foods, including lighter game meats (duck, rabbit), lamb, roasted vegetables, berries, herbs and almost anything chargrilled.