Winemakers Notes
Pale straw green in colour and strikingly aromatic,
the 2004 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc evokes memories
of a late summer picnic ... the spiciness of vine
ripened tomatoes with freshly picked basil, red currants,
juicy mandarins and a zesty lemon cake. Layers of
pure, bracing fruit flavours on the palate finish
with terrific intensity and length ... and the crispness
of a crunchy green apple.
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. Crops were thinned in January to ensure
the grapes reached full maturity and yields averaged
10.7 Tonne/hectare (4.3 Tonne/acre).
Season
Cool weather during the spring of 2003 culminated
in a frost alert in the Southern Valleys on November
18th – exactly 12 months to the day of the severe
frost in 2002. Helicopters were on stand-by to mitigate
frost damage to tender vine shoots, with minimal damage
occurring only in the most sheltered vineyard sites.
Very warm and dry conditions during December and January
ensured even flowering and desirable fruit-set. An
unusually cool and cloudy February was redeemed by
mild sunny weather during March and April, and complete
physiological ripeness was achieved. Although the
season was protracted – and at times precarious
– new state-of-the-art fruit receival facilities
enabled all varieties to be harvested with great efficiency
at optimum ripeness.
Harvest
The Sauvignon Blanc harvest began on the 8th 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 28th 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 July and subsequent bottling in September.
Final wine analysis shows an alcohol of 13.6%, pH
of 3.17 and titratable acidity 7.8 g/L.
Cloudy Bay
Chardonnay - Cloudy
Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Cloudy
Bay 2003 Sauvignon Blanc Vintage
