Cloudy Bay Chardonnay

Cloudy Bay Chardonnay is one for connoisseurs and gastronomic adventurers: refined, poised and balanced. Painstakingly made using traditional techniques, it is a true ‘food wine’. Fruit from vineyards in the stony soils of Wairau Valley and the dense clay of the Southern Valleys work together to create a wine that marries ripe stone fruit and citrusy elegance.

• Winery: Cloudy Bay
• Varietal: Chardonnay
• Region: Marlborough, New Zealand
• Vintage: 2020
• Alcohol: 13.7%
• Volume: 750ml
• Closure: Screwcap
• Food pairing: Chicken; veal & pork; shrimp, crab & lobster; potato & squash; cream & pesto sauces; mild & semi soft cheeses

This widespread international aromatic grape variety has proudly been part of the Cloudy Bay portfolio since 1986.

"A powerful Marlborough wine with impressively concentrated, savoury, lemony, mealy flavours and a proven ability to mature well over the long haul. The grapes are sourced from numerous company-owned and growers' vineyards at Brancott, Fairhall, Benmorven and in the Central Wairau Valley. The wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts in French oak barriques (typically 15 per cent new), lees-aged in barrels, and most goes through a softening malolactic fermentation. The refined 2020 vintage should be long-lived. Bright, light lemon/green, it has a fragrant, citrusy, mealy bouquet. Fresh, full-bodied and savoury, it has youthful, peachy, citrusy flavours, finely integrated oak, impressive vigour and complexity, lively acidity and a lingering finish." Michael Cooper

Cloudy Bay Vineyards was established in 1985 with innovation, meticulous attention to detail, and regional expression being their guiding principles. The Cloudy Bay team is committed to producing ‘wines of region’ and strives to enhance the pure, bracing flavours and stunning vibrancy naturally afforded by the climate and soils of Marlborough. The winery and vineyards are situated in the Wairau Valley in Marlborough at the northern end of New Zealand’s South Island. This unique and cool wine region enjoys a maritime climate with the longest hours of sunshine of any place in New Zealand. Cloudy Bay Vineyards was a founding member of the New Zealand Integrated Winegrape Production scheme, set up to develop a programme for sustainable vineyard management, which is now monitored by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand. Cloudy Bay’s impeccable scorecard reflects the company’s commitment to environmentally friendly winery and vineyard management practices.

• 5 Stars - Michael Cooper (2020 Vintage)
• 5 Stars - Michael Cooper (2017 vintage)
• 5 Stars & 95/100 - Toni Paterson MW, The Real Review (2017 vintage)