Winemakers Notes
Pale straw green in colour and mouth-wateringly fragrant,
the 2003 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc is redolent of
a mid-summer kitchen ... ripe passionfruit, yellow
plums, juicy limes and freshly picked basil. The palate
is pure and refreshing with all the hallmarks of a
small but perfectly formed crop ... flavours that
echo the aromas, with piercing concentration, impeccably
balanced acidity ...and a
long, crisp finish.
Vineyard
Grapes were sourced from eight estate and grower
vineyards located in the Rapaura, Fairhall, Renwick
and Brancott sub-regions of the Wairau Valley. Free
draining, stony soils typify the Rapaura and Renwick
areas whilst Fairhall and Brancott are predominantly
fine alluvial loams containing some clay. The majority
of fruit was grown on the divided Scott Henry trellis
system with the exception of a small percentage of
young vines.
Season
The 2003 growing season was punctuated by two severe
spring frosts (October and then November) that caused
considerable damage to newly formed shoots and grape
inflorescences. The cumulative effect of these frosts
and cool weather over flowering resulted in very small
crops being set, in some vineyards well below 50%
of expected yields. Summer weather conditions were
settled and dry, but cooler than average temperatures
were recorded from January through to March. Marlborough's
sunny autumnal conditions came to the rescue ensuring
physiological ripeness was achieved across all varieties
– even though below average night-time temperatures
prevailed throughout the harvest – and finally
delivered a very modest crop with terrific flavour
profiles and great fruit intensity.
Harvest
The Sauvignon Blanc harvest began on the 3rd April,
the first fruit coming from the stonier blocks around
the winery. Harvesting continued steadily through
the progressively later ripening sites, harvest dates
being dictated by achievement of optimum fruit flavours.
The last fruit was harvested in the Brancott valley
on the 17th of April.
Vinification
The fruit was machine harvested during the cooler
night and early morning temperatures and transported
directly to the winery. The grapes were de-stemmed
and transferred straight to tank presses. Free run
and lightly pressed juice was cold settled for 48
hours then racked and inoculated with a neutral yeast
strain. The fermentations were carried out in stainless
steel tanks; after fermentation the wine remained
in contact with yeast lees for about two months, prior
to blending in August and subsequent bottling in September.
Final wine analysis shows an alcohol of 13.5%, pH
of 3.20 and titratable acidity 7.1 g/l.
Cloudy Bay
Chardonnay - Cloudy
Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Cloudy
Bay 2003 Sauvignon Blanc Vintage
