Pinot Noir thrives throughout the favourable precincts of Marlborough, where Cloudy Bay have planted the best clones on the choicest sites, to realize harvests of the finest fruit. Crop levels are carefully controlled to ensure the grapes are brimming wth great concentration of flavour, selectively picked and treated to a regimen of old fashioned, tried and true, minimalist vinification techniques. Cloudy Bay are always richly layered with complexity, fruit driven yet exquisitely dry, finely structured and supported by ripe, licorice textured tannins.
Vineyards planted to a mix of Dijon Pinot Noir, clones AM10/5, UCD5 Pommard are harvested to a schedule based upon ripeness. Fruit is de-stemmed into open top fermenters. After a cold soaking of several days, fermentations are initiated by naturally occurring yeast at a maximum temperature of 32C. Caps are plunged to ensure gentle and complete extraction of tannins, colour and flavour. Following three weeks on skins, batches are drained and lightly pressed before transfer to a combination of new and prior use French oak barrels. After a year ageing under fine oak, individual components are trialled, the finished wine is determined and assembled before a light fining with egg white prior to bottling.
Scarlet colour. Opulent aromas of dark plum and cardamom are enhanced by scents of liquorice and hints of toasty oak. The palate is highly concentrated with black cherry and red berries supported by silky tannins, through to a long and generous finish. Cloudy Bay reflects the synergy between Burgundian clones Pinot Noir and the idyllic Marlborough climes.
