Cloudy Bay Releases A Superstar Vintage… Yet Again!

Expressive, refined and fruity, Cloudy Bay wines embody the spirit of the Marlborough region of New Zealand with the Sauvignon Blanc – the estate’s flagship grape variety. Just last week, the noted Kiwi winery launched in Malaysia its keenly awaited Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Vintage, marked by a special luncheon at Crystal, St. Regis Kuala Lumpur on October 10.

Yang Shen, the Estate Director for Cloudy Bay, was on hand to celebrate the launch and also to go into a bit more detail about the various exciting flavours behind the new Cloudy Bay vintage. “This year, we experienced the shortest harvest season ever in 34 years due to an early budburst after a mild winter and warm early spring. Nonetheless, we had a period of warm and dry weather extending all the way into harvest, allowing fruit to ripen evenly on the vines. Yes, Cloudy Bay has built a reputation for refined, elegant Sauvignon Blanc and the 2019 vintage is no exception,” he revealed.

The luncheon featured an exquisite wine pairing with a curated four-course menu, during which Yang Shen proceeded to explain in detail the remarkable tasting notes of the new vintage and other excellent wines from the Cloudy Bay portfolio. On the palate, the Sauvignon Blanc 2019 elicits juicy tropical notes combined with zesty citrus, stone fruits and subtle flavours of orchard blossom. Its acidity makes the fruit sparkle, carrying the intense fruit characters through to an impressively long finish.

So what is it that makes the wines of Marlborough so distinctively exquisite, one might ask? To that, Yang Shen offers: “The answer probably lies in a magical synergy of climate and soil. Where we are – in the north-eastern corner of New Zealand’s South Island – is a landscape of spectacular natural beauty and bounty”

This is why, according to Yang Shen, no other wine anywhere in the world tastes like the wine from Marlborough. “The balance of extraordinary purity and intensity of flavours set around impressive aroma, distinctive fruit characteristics and appealing balanced acidity is superb. These are stylish, exciting wines that surprise and delight.”