Cloudy Bay Vineyards
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New Zealand‘s Cloudy Bay Vineyards produces a well-known Sauvignon Blanc. Its first commercial vintage was produced in 1985 from purchased grapes, and the company later planted its own vineyards. One of the first New Zealand wines to be widely exported, it became a virtual "cult" item, particularly in Britain and the U.S., because its bold and fruit-forward style, its structure, its balance, and its complexity; the classic French Sauvignon Blancs from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé in the Loire Valley and the Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon white blends from Bordeaux were typically more acidic and austere.
One wine critic compared drinking Cloudy Bay Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc to hearing Glenn Gould playing Bach's Goldberg Variations. (Taber, p. 244). Other critics, including Robert M. Parker, Jr. and Wine Spectator magazine, found the Cloudy Bay style much to their liking, but some wine consumers are less enthusiastic, considering its fruit-forward character one-dimensional. However, Cloudy Bay Vineyards has "set the world standard for Sauvignon Blanc and now demands premium prices around the globe" (Taber, p. 244).
Cloudy Bay’s 140 hectares of vineyards are located at three sites in the winegrowing region of Marlborough, including close to the bay for which they are named. "No other region in the world can match Marlborough, the northeastern corner of New Zealand's south island, which seems to be the best place in the world to grow Sauvignon Blanc grapes" (Taber, p. 244). Five long-term contract growers also work closely with Cloudy Bay. The vines are planted on deep alluvial gravels. Cloudy Bay also makes a popular Chardonnay, but the Sauvignon Blanc remains its standard-bearer.
Cloudy Bay Vineyards is now owned by the multinational luxury goods firm LVMH (Louis Vuitton Möet Hennessy) via its champagne house Veuve Clicquot, which exports to 20 countries around the world, with the largest markets being Australia, United Kingdom, USA, Europe and Japan.
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
- Taber, George M. Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2005.
- Cloudy Bay Vineyards
