Cloudy Bay doesn’t particularly need a massive introduction, most people who know about wine will have heard of Cloudy Bay, but most people only really know their Sauvignon Blanc, their Chardonnay and, at a push, the Cloudy Bay Pelorus, their sparkling wine.
Few people know that Cloudy Bay make a Pinot Noir, let alone a Central Otago Pinot Noir or the fabulous Te Koko, a barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc made using naturally occurring yeasts. There are also a couple of wines that are available in even smaller quantities, the aromatic Cloudy Bay Gewurztraminer and the sweet Cloudy Bay Late Harvest Riesling dessert wine.
Cloudy Bay Gewurtraminer
This Gewurztraminer is an off-dry aromatic white wine made with grapes sourced from the Mustang Vineyard, in the Brancott Valley. Marlborough. It is fermented using indigenous yeasts in old French barrels (a bit like the Te Koko). With aromas of lychees, ripe citrus fruits and rose petals leading on exotic musky flavours and hints of dried fruits and spices on the palate. The rich and aromatic style makes this a natural companion to spicy Chinese and Asian cuisine.
Cloudy Bay Late Harvest Riesling
The Late Harvest Riesling is only ever available in tiny quantities, it is one of the wineries best-kept secrets. The Riesling grapes are sourced from vineyards in the Fairhall and Brancott sub-regions of Marlborough. Grapes are hand-harvested, with two sweeps of the vineyard, so that only the best Botrytis cinerea affected bunches are selected. However, there is also a small portion of non-botrytis affected fruit used in the wine which helps to maintain the natural acidity of the wine – the correct balance of sweetness to acidity is one of the key factors in a dessert wine.
Cloudy Bay Late Harvest Riesling has elegant fruit with notes of ripe peach and apricot and a touch of honey. Nice zesty acidity to support the sweet fruit. Try it with fruit desserts or blue cheese.