Cloudy Bay Vineyards

Cloudy Bay Vineyards is the most famous producer in New Zealand's Marlborough region, and its Sauvignon Blanc is one of the country's most sought-after wines.

The winery has four estate vineyards in the Wairau Valley subregion of Marlborough, and buys fruit from nine other Wairau vineyards. The Wairau Valley itself was the product of several glacial periods ending 14,000 years ago, and the resultant soils vary from washed stone to gravel, alluvial silt and clay. Marlborough has a maritime climate and has some of the longest sunshine hours of anywhere in New Zealand.

The pre-eminent wine of Cloudy Bay is Sauvignon Blanc, but it also produces Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, as well as Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris, a late-harvest wine and a sparkling wine, Pelorus. Cloudy Bay was one of the first wineries in Marlborough, and is recognized as one of the producers that spawned the international success of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The flagship offering is more fruit-forward than its French counterparts, with a little less acidity and a region-specific herbaceousness. However, Cloudy Bay also produces an alternative style, Te Koko, which is fermented in oak using wild yeast, producing a more savory, complex wine.

The estate was started in 1985 by David Hohnen, the founder of Cape Mentelle Vineyards in Western Australia's Margaret River region. Hohnen sold Cloudy Bay to Veuve Clicquot in 1990, but stayed on in charge of its operations. He finally left in 2003, after Veuve Clicquot was bought by the multinational luxury group, LVMH. The result was significantly increased production and an expanded international market, with 100,000 cases of Sauvignon Blanc produced in 2009 alone.