Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2024

Cloudy Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Wairau Valley, New Zealand, 2024    

Grape: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Producer Tasting Note: 

Quite restrained on the nose and less tropical than previous vintages. It unfurls in the glass to reveal profound and attractive notes of citrus, lime leaf, apricot and orange blossom. The palate shows mouthwatering intensity, with subtle-but-juicy passionfruit notes melding with those of citrus, white stone fruit, makrut lime, pink peppercorn, hibiscus and pink grapefruit. Throughout, there is a freshening saline edge and a fresh-squeezed lemon acidity that carries a long, concentrated and complex finish.

Cloudy Bay's Sauvignon Blanc fruit comes largely from vineyards planted in Wairau Valley’s Rapaura, Renwick and Brancott Valley sub-regions. The area’s warm, dry maritime climate and free-draining gravelly soils are perfect for Sauvignon Blanc. Key blocks include the Estate, Motukawa, Widow's Block, Red Shed, and Mustang vineyards.

Fruit from each vineyard ferments separately, primarily in stainless steel tanks before blending, a critical step in maintaining Cloudy Bay’s famous consistency. A 1.5% portion was fermented in large oak vats and another portion received wild yeast ferment. Rather than blending to make more wine, the winemakers carefully select the right grapes for each year’s wine. In 2023, from 81 batches tasted, 51 portions were selected to create the final blend. This means the quantity may change, but never the quality.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"Consistently delicious with sliced-apple, gooseberry and lime character. Some grass too. Medium body, creamy texture and a fresh finish. Fortieth vintage of this wine. Drink now. Screw cap."  James Suckling, November 2024

"Cloudy Bay, owned by Moët Hennessy, has always had a layer of richness that most of the other vegetal Sauvignons from the South Island seem to lack. The region’s signature flavors of lime and kiwi fruit are still there, but the extra complexity and depth of flavors, along with a hint of chalkiness in the finish, make this a more table-worthy white than the vast majority of its counterparts"

93/100 points, Roger Morris, Wine Review Online, January 2025

"Aromas of passion fruit, flowers, candied green apple and white peach. Green-apple and passion-fruit flavours mix with a hint of lime pith and a faint sweetness that has a faintly saline green-apple-skin counterpoint. Silky texture."  Drink 2025-2028

17/20 points, Alder Yarrow, JancisRobinson.com, February 2025

Also awarded  "GOLD" at 2025 Sakura Awards (Japan)

Food Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a natural match for almost any seafood. Some favourites at the winery include tempura oysters, locally-caught sashimi, and steamed mussels with garlic, citrus and parsley. It’s also a great match for green salads and goats’ cheese. A hint from the producer: if it goes with lemon, it goes with Sauvignon Blanc.