Cloudy Bay

Cloudy Bay's founding story begins in 1983, when visiting Kiwi winemakers handed David Hohnen, the Australian proprietor of Cape Mentelle Vineyards in Margaret River, his first bottle of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Captivated by the aromatic intensity that the cool South Island climate produced in the variety, Hohnen flew to New Zealand, attended the Auckland wine show, and met a young Australian winemaker named Kevin Judd. By 1985 the two had assembled a small team and a parcel of land on Jacksons Road in the Rapaura district of the Wairau Valley, approximately 8 km north-west of Blenheim. The winery was named after Cloudy Bay, the stretch of Marlborough coastline charted by Captain James Cook during his 1770 voyage; in 2014 the bay was officially renamed Te Koko-o-Kupe / Cloudy Bay to recognise Maori heritage. The inaugural 1985 vintage was crushed before the Marlborough winery had been built, with 40 tonnes of Sauvignon Blanc grapes trucked north to Gisborne for vinification under Judd. The wine was an immediate critical sensation, voted the world's best Sauvignon Blanc by Wine magazine and championed by influential British critics including Oz Clarke. The Marlborough winery buildings on Jacksons Road were completed in time for the 1986 vintage, and within a decade Cloudy Bay had become both New Zealand's most recognisable wine brand and the catalyst for global investment in Marlborough.

• Founded 1985 by David Hohnen (Cape Mentelle, Margaret River) with founding winemaker Kevin Judd, after Hohnen tasted his first Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in 1983
• Inaugural 1985 vintage vinified in Gisborne from 40 tonnes of purchased Sauvignon Blanc fruit; voted world's best Sauvignon Blanc by Wine magazine and praised by Oz Clarke
• Marlborough winery on Jacksons Road, Rapaura completed for the 1986 vintage; situated approximately 8 km north-west of Blenheim in the Wairau Valley
• Champagne house Veuve Clicquot took a controlling stake in 1990; Hohnen sold his remaining shares in 2003, placing Cloudy Bay fully under LVMH Moet Hennessy

Cloudy Bay's portfolio has expanded across four decades while keeping the flagship Sauvignon Blanc as its identity. The Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is fermented predominantly in stainless steel at cool temperatures to preserve the variety's aromatic volatility, with only a small fraction (around 4% or less in most vintages) fermented in older French oak barriques and large-format vats for textural lift. Pelorus, the methode traditionnelle sparkling wine launched from the 1987 vintage and named after Pelorus Jack, the famous dolphin that escorted ships through Cook Strait between 1888 and 1912, was developed with input from American sparkling pioneer Harold Osborne; the non-vintage cuvee is a Chardonnay-Pinot Noir blend matured a minimum of 24 months on lees. Chardonnay was added to the portfolio in 1986, with fruit drawn from the heavier clay soils of the Southern Valleys and matured in French oak. Pinot Noir followed: plantings began in 1989 and the first commercial release was the 1994 vintage. The 1996 vintage marked the first experiments with Te Koko, a wild-yeast, barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc that was commercially launched in 2000 after several years of refinement; it ferments and ages in French oak (less than 10% new) for around four to five months, then rests on fine lees for an additional 15 months. Te Wahi Pinot Noir, first made in 2010 from two contrasting Central Otago vineyards, completed the modern flagship lineup. A Founders' Cellar range of small-batch experimental wines is produced in the renovated 2022 cellar building.

• Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough): stainless-steel fermentation with around 4% or less in older French oak; the benchmark style since 1985
• Pelorus methode traditionnelle sparkling: Chardonnay-Pinot Noir blend, minimum 24 months on lees, launched from the 1987 vintage, named for Pelorus Jack
• Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc: first made 1996, commercially launched 2000; wild-yeast barrel fermentation in French oak (less than 10% new), 15 months on lees
• Te Wahi Pinot Noir (Central Otago): first vintage 2010; blends Northburn Station glacial fruit with Calvert (Felton Road, Bannockburn) lakebed fruit

Cloudy Bay's Marlborough estate spans 163 parcels of estate vines plus 65 long-term grower blocks across the Wairau Valley sub-regions of Rapaura, Renwick, and Brancott Valley, with additional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay holdings in the Southern Valleys. The Wairau Valley floor is defined by free-draining gravelly alluvial soils deposited by braided rivers descending from the Richmond Range; these warm quickly and stress vines just enough to produce the concentrated, aromatic Sauvignon Blanc the region is known for. The Southern Valleys, sheltered tributary valleys to the south of the main Wairau plain, are cooler with deeper clay-loam soils that suit Pinot Noir and Chardonnay through later ripening and natural acid retention. Estate yields are kept approximately 30% below the regional Marlborough average, with parcels harvested individually to capture site character and ripening differences. In Central Otago, the source for Te Wahi Pinot Noir, Cloudy Bay farms two organically certified vineyards in contrasting terroirs. Northburn Station sits on the steep east bank of Lake Dunstan, on rocky glacial-outwash soils that produce powerful, structured Pinot Noir of dark fruit intensity. The Calvert vineyard, on Felton Road in Bannockburn, sits in the silty, loamy soils of an ancient lakebed and produces opulent, fragrant fruit; a blend of the two gives Te Wahi its signature combination of structure and perfume.

• 163 estate parcels plus 65 grower blocks across Wairau Valley sub-regions (Rapaura, Renwick, Brancott Valley) and the Southern Valleys
• Wairau Valley: free-draining gravelly alluvial soils for Sauvignon Blanc; Southern Valleys: cooler clay-loam for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
• Yields kept approximately 30% below Marlborough regional average; individual parcel harvest and fermentation to preserve site differentiation
• Central Otago: Northburn Station (rocky glacial, structure) and Calvert in Bannockburn (silty loam, opulence); both farmed organically

Cloudy Bay's house style has remained recognisable for forty vintages: aromatic precision and textural finesse, never overripe or confected. The flagship Sauvignon Blanc is harvested across several picks to capture different fruit profiles, then cool-fermented predominantly in stainless steel using cultured yeasts to preserve passionfruit, blackcurrant leaf, and grapefruit aromatics. A small parcel (typically 4% or less) is fermented in older French oak barriques and large foudres to add palate weight without introducing oak character, then blended back into the main wine. The Pinot Noir programme uses gentle whole-berry fermentation with partial whole-cluster inclusion in suitable vintages, matured in French oak with a low new-oak percentage to preserve fruit definition. Te Koko represents Cloudy Bay's intellectual counterpoint to its own flagship: indigenous wild yeasts ferment slowly in French oak barriques (less than 10% new), full malolactic fermentation softens the acid line, and 15 months on fine lees in barrel develop savoury complexity, lychee, honeysuckle, white pepper, and preserved citrus. Pelorus follows traditional methode champenoise discipline, with reserve wine blending and at least 24 months of tirage maturation on lees. Across the range, the winemaking team prioritises restraint over extraction or technique; the goal is varietal and site clarity rather than a signature winemaker stamp. Kelly Stuart, who joined as cellar hand in 2016 and was promoted to winemaker in 2023, oversees vintage decisions today.

• Flagship Sauvignon Blanc: predominantly cool stainless-steel fermentation; only around 4% or less in older French oak for texture without oak flavour
• Te Koko: wild-yeast French oak fermentation (less than 10% new), full malolactic, 15 months on lees in barrel for savoury complexity
• Pelorus: methode traditionnelle with reserve wine blending and minimum 24 months on lees; reflects Champagne discipline at Marlborough latitude
• Pinot Noir: gentle whole-berry handling with partial whole-cluster, low new-oak percentage, French oak only; emphasis on site clarity

Forty years after the debut 1985 vintage, Cloudy Bay occupies an unusual dual position as both a globally recognised LVMH luxury brand distributed in more than 30 countries and a critically credible terroir-driven producer. The estate is a founding member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand and certified under that programme across its Marlborough holdings; the Central Otago vineyards at Northburn Station and Calvert are farmed organically, with selected Marlborough estate blocks trialling organic conversion. In 2022 the original 1986 cellar building was renovated into the Founders' Cellar, a small-batch winemaking and visitor facility that achieved a 5 Green Star built rating, among New Zealand's highest sustainability certifications for buildings. The Founders' Cellar produces experimental small-lot wines that allow the winemaking team to explore wild ferments, alternative vessels, and longer skin contact outside the constraints of the commercial range. The 2025 vintage marked the winery's 40th anniversary and was released with a multi-day event for international trade and a fresh vintage of the flagship Sauvignon Blanc that earned 92 points from Wine Spectator. Kelly Stuart's promotion to winemaker in 2023 placed a New Zealand-trained winemaker in the lead role for the first time in years; her stated focus is preserving the linear citrus precision the flagship is known for while continuing the textural development that Te Koko and the Founders' Cellar wines represent.

• Founding member Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand; certified across Marlborough estate; Central Otago vineyards farmed organically
• Founders' Cellar renovation completed 2022; achieved 5 Green Star built rating; produces small-batch experimental wines outside the commercial range
• 40th anniversary celebrated in 2025; flagship Sauvignon Blanc 2025 scored 92 points from Wine Spectator and released as anniversary vintage
• Winemaking led by Kelly Stuart since 2023; LVMH distribution in 30+ countries while retaining critical credibility as a terroir producer