【A national treasure among New Zealand wineries】
【One of the first five wineries established in Marlborough】
ZNZ014A - Cloudy Bay Te Wahi Pinot Noir 2022 Central Otago
$498/bottle
Type：Red Wine
Grape Varieties：100% Pinot Noir
Region：Central Otago
ABV：13.5%
The nose is captivating and expressive, beginning with an alluring burst of dark chocolate and cherry, followed by a sweet, toasty finish. A fresh minty aroma wafts through like a morning mist, neutralizing the heavy sweetness and adding a touch of dynamism to the overall aroma. The palate is fresh and lively, with vibrant acidity and excellent purity, complemented by an alluring currant jelly aroma and a deep cold-brew coffee flavor, again enhanced by a beautiful touch of crushed mint. The tannins are delicate and silky, giving the wine a smooth and alluring texture.
【Winery】
There is a bay at the easternmost end of the Wairau Valley in Marlborough, New Zealand's South Island. In 1770, a captain named Cook named the bay "The Wairau Valley" during his voyage to New Zealand. Bay". This is where the name Cloudy Bay comes from. The winery was established in 1985 and was one of the first five wineries in Marlborough. Highly regarded since its inception, the winery quickly became recognized worldwide as a standard producer of white wines. Cloudy Bay's critical acclaim paved the way for the successful promotion of New Zealand wines around the world.
【Region】
The winery owns 140 hectares of vineyards and currently has long-term contracts with five other vineyards in the Wairau Valley. The wines produced are all high-quality products with small quantity and high quality, including the best in white wine. Among them, the winery's unbarrel Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay white wine, and even Pinot Noir red wine have all been ranked among the top 100 rankings of "Wine Spectator", the largest professional wine magazine in the United States. The winery's "Te Koko" barrel-soaked Sauvignon Blanc is a dream product favored by many international wine critics. Innovation, meticulous attention to detail and an insistence on regional identity are what Cloudy Bay is all about. Now, the winery is also actively promoting vineyard management methods that are more harmonious with the environment.
Cloudy Bay has been committed to developing the scale of the winery in recent years in the hope of producing wines of excellent quality. The winery believes that the future success of professional wineries must start from brewing this unique regional grape, select the most suitable grape varieties for brewing in the production area, and combine the characteristics of each grape variety with the natural environmental conditions. A winery style that is recognized and irreplaceable.
【Winemaking】
Te Wāhi is a blend of two distinct vineyards. Northburn, nestled on the steep eastern shores of Lake Dunstan, boasts a harsh rocky glacial soil that produces compact, intensely flavored fruit. Calvert, located on Felton Road in Bannockburn, is nestled in silty clay soils reminiscent of an ancient lakebed, producing rich, aromatic fruit.
Grapes from two complementary Central Otago vineyards are mostly destemmed and fermented in open vats, with some fermented whole-bunch. In spring, the wines undergo extended maceration and natural malolactic fermentation. After fermentation, the wines are batch-aged in French oak barrels for approximately 12 months, 30% of which are new.
