New Zealand Cloudy Bay

Cloudy
Bay Sauvignon Blanc was the first wine from New Zealand I
ever tasted. And the second and the third. Talk about
starting at the top! Not that I’d heard of the now iconic
winery or even that I could differentiate anything more
about New Zealand as a winemaking country at the time than I
knew about, say, Cyprus. But after enough people you respect
put a bottle in your hands and say, “You’ve got to try
this,” something finally registers. Initially word filtered
west from the UK. A British writer commented in 199O that
despite the weak 1988 vintage “Cloudy Bay-mania has shown
little sign of abating and America hasn’t even tasted the
stuff yet.” (Jane MacQuitty, Australia and New Zealand
Wines, 199O.) I certainly found the wine distinctive right
off the bat, so much so that it sparked my interest in
learning more about the small country that produced it. It
would be a few more years, however, before I began to find
more than a handful of other New Zealand wines available in
all but the most esoteric wine shops. But something about
the label, the name and the taste experience of that
Sauvignon Blanc stayed with me and whetted my appetite for
what would follow.

And that was
something marvelous. As more Marlborough district Sauvignon
Blancs hit the US market and they grew from being an
underground curiosity to something of a mainstream staple,
my tasting notes continued to be full of superlatives. I was
simply shocked at how thrilling the wines tasted to me
across the board, the brand hardly mattered and they became
one of my all purpose household drinks. There were
variations in aromatic concentration, in flavor nuance,
certainly in the finish of the wines from different
companies, but their overall structure struck me as
consistently racy and appetizing, the general quality level
impeccable. Marlborough, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc stood
out instantly in blind tastings. The flavors lingered. As I
came to understand it this phenomenon was something new and
different under the sun, something that fit my own
preferences exactly, and the world palate was enriched for
it.

The Marlborough
story, as I learned and then taught it, was a
straightforward one: a coastal region with a moderate to
cool climate, long hours of sunshine and a long growing
season, stony relatively low fertility soils and basically
dry weather translated into unforgettably citric, ripe,
crisply acidic, medium-bodied wines of impressive flavor
intensity and duration. It was easy to taste the difference
and easy to communicate. Not that everyone loved this style
as much as I did and do. But as a new paradigm began to
emerge for white wine and for Sauvignon Blanc in particular,
one that was influenced by the dining side of the
gastronomic equation, these uncompromising flavors came into
vogue. Sentiment at tastings I would conduct in the
mid-199Os ran about 3 to 1 against; today the average group
is at least 3 to 1 in favor. But the wines continue to call
forth strong emotions. For an era that was beginning to
prize dramatic well-defined flavor in its wines, Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc came along just in time.

The commercial
side of the story has been remarkable as well. From
essentially nothing in the mid-197Os, New Zealand’s fine
wine industry has grown by leaps and bounds to make its
considerable impact felt in the UK, and now the US, by
focusing on exports. The scenario is not unlike that of
neighboring Australia with the point of difference being
that New Zealand’s vineyards are cooler in climate.
Marlborough does not market ripeness, blandness, high
extract, full body, or very much red wine, although many of
the Pinot Noirs grown there are outstanding. Market success
has been all the more noteworthy because the region, and the
country’s, inroads have come during a time when the
industry’s major growth trend has been in red wine
consumption.

The figures are
staggering and they speak for themselves. The first vines
planted in Marlborough’s modern era went into the ground as
recently as 1973. For years afterwards the area continued to
be noted more for sheep grazing than viticulture. Outside of
a few isolated pockets of wine production there essentially
was no wine industry to speak of in New Zealand until about
2O years ago. The country had 12,OOO acres under vine 15
years ago, which grew to 19,OOO acres 1O years ago, 33,OOO
acres 5 years ago and about 55,OOO acres today. Exports to
the US have skyrocketed from virtually nothing in 1995 (16OO
cases), to 278,OOO cases in 2OOO, to over 8OO,OOO cases in
2OO4. This qualifies as something of a major
boom.

One of the main
reasons for this growth is the aforementioned excitement
Marlborough’s Sauvignon Blancs have generated, which then
translated into greater acceptance for the country as a
legitimate producer of other fine wines from other regions
which focused on other grape varieties. It’s an intriguing
story because often wine is marketed from the “bottom up”,
with moderate prices and great value the main propositions
to gaining entry into the all important export markets.
Australia, for instance, first made its impact felt as a
producer of oaky Chardonnays at giveaway prices. Chile came
to market as the low cost provider of flavorful Cabernet
Sauvignon. The brands were almost anonymous. In fact, the
country and the grape variety constituted the brand. New
Zealand’s path was different, and Cloudy Bay played a
central role in creating the image that paved the way for
the other wineries that followed. Just as Angelo Gaja may
have opened up the eyes of critics, professionals and
ultimately consumers elsewhere to Italy as a producer of
potentially world class wines, Cloudy Bay stood out among
the opinion makers before much of an industry even existed
around it. Marketing itself, and by extension the region and
the country, from the top down proved to be a very
successful strategy. The wines delivered and enthusiastic
consumers in the US and elsewhere voted with their
pocketbooks.

Somewhere along
the way in this amazing growth story the quality picture of
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has, however, become a bit
muddled. From a category you could trust blindly to provide
outstanding quality, we’ve reached a point where you must
choose carefully. Too many Sauvignon Blancs began to hit the
market during the past five years that tasted overly sweet
and tropical behind all the acidity, too many that lacked
concentration due most likely to over cropping, and too many
that were one dimensionally thin and even aggressive in
flavor. As the acreage expanded and production kept
ratcheting upwards, it may have perhaps been inevitable that
there would be some dilution and loss of flavor.

So it was more
than reassuring to me to re-connect with Cloudy Bay
recently, in the form of a wonderful tasting over lunch with
winemaker Eveline Fraser, whose current Sauvignon Blanc
release is right on point in relation to the historical
style that established the winery’s reputation in the first
place. The main bit of new informatioin was that Cloudy Bay
has finally decided to release its benchmark Sauvignon Blanc
in the US market in a screw cap (something it has done in
New Zealand for the last three vintages). This is a
statement that will resonate with the many consumers who are
already convinced of Cloudy Bay’s impeccable quality and it
will help the industry as a whole to gain broader acceptance
for this form of bottle closure. When influential quality
leaders with trusted names adopt a particular marketing
strategy (in this case enclosing their product in a screw
cap-finished bottle to preserve natural wine flavors against
the ravages of TCA) it speaks volumes to their many fans and
leaves an indelible impression. When consumers encounter
other similarly packaged wines with which they may be less
familiar, they’re less apt to dismiss them because of the
positive association they’ve already formed. As Ms. Fraser
indicated, the years of experimentation and research that
Cloudy Bay had undertaken showed clearly that quality was
preserved more consistently in a screw cap-finished bottle
than in one sealed with cork, due to the unavoidably high
incidence of cork taint. The wines were fresher and more
consistent.

The Wairau
Valley, the Marlborough sub-region that is home to Cloudy
Bay’s vineyards, is an ideal zone for Sauvignon Blanc
because of its long sunny days and cool, dry evenings.
Ripening is generally not a problem and the grapes
invariably retain strong levels of acidity to balance the
sugar. 2OO5 was a lighter vintage in the Wairau in terms of
yield. It also developed a bit cooler than average. The
flavors of the just released 2OO5 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
reflect this weather pattern. Pale in color, the 1OO%
varietal wine has an understated lemon peel, green herb-like
aroma. It’s less than dramatically fragrant at this stage of
its evolution, perhaps a bit more classically styled. There
are nuances of flowery herbs and vegetal notes as well. In
contrast, the acids are quite vibrant, the wine’s first
impression on the palate being that of a fresh squeezed,
barely ripened grapefruit. If not quite yet brilliant, the
flavors are pure, direct and very lingering, with intriguing
green fruit accents. This vintage is a bit more restrained
than others I have recently tasted, with a cleanliness and
purity that is sure to take on more flesh as time
progresses.

Quite a contrast
was the rare Cloudy Bay “Te Koko” Sauvignon Blanc, 2OO2.
This was the biggest surprise of the tasting to me because
I’d never seen a bottle before. Also pure Sauvignon, it’s
fermented with natural yeasts and aged for 18 months in
barrel, in contrast to the exclusively stainless steel “high
tech” treatment of the other Sauvignon Blanc. This was
clearly apparent in the deeper color, smoky/earthy aroma and
rounder creamier texture of the wine. The Te Koko, which
translates roughly to Cloudy Bay in Maori, is a lovely wine
with smooth rounded edges. It’s a completely different take
on Sauvignon Blanc. Perhaps Graves-like in inspiration, it’s
fleshy and firmly structured, with a penetrating core of
lemony acidity, but the flavors are also accented with
vanilla, white pepper and toasted grains. Interestingly the
wine does not have more intensity than the regular bottling,
it’s just an alternative interpretation. One harder, I might
add, to pull off. Sauvignon Blancs are attractive to me
mainly for the brashness of their flavors. Including some
Semillon in the mix has a tendency to broaden the range of
fruits you experience, enhance texture and refine the style.
Te Koko is delicious and interesting to taste because it has
all the appeal of a fine barrel-aged Bordeaux but it’s pure
Sauvignon. At first blush it has more in common with
Sauvingon Blancs from warmer climates, such as the rounder
textured wines produced in Hawkes Bay, several hundred miles
north, but the vibrancy of the cooler climate Marlborough
fruit is undeniably evident underneath.

But just as New
Zealand is not only a Sauvignon Blanc producer, Cloudy Bay
is also not a one-varietal wonder. Although overseas demand
has increased Sauvignon Blanc acreage to the point where it
is now the country’s most planted variety, Chardonnay is
also grown there in abundance. As with Sauvignon Blanc, our
market is most familiar with the “Marlborough style”, which
is leaner and perhaps more finely aromatic, with peach and
apple blossom notes dominant, but there are outstanding
Chardonnays grown on the North Island that have a richer
feel on the palate. Wherever the wine’s from, it’s rare to
encounter tropical essences in a New Zealand Chardonnay, and
even less common to fault any of the wines for acid
deficiency or heaviness. There is fruit in profusion, but
generally moderate alcohol. Cloudy Bay’s 2OO3 is an exemplar
of the variety, stylistically somewhere between New World
(because of its prominent fruit expression) and Burgundy
(because of its finesse and seamless integration of oak and
fruit). Aged in French barrels for a year, the buttery,
apple-like aroma is focused a bit on the minerally side. The
wine is very concentrated. Spring weather that year
decimated the Marlborough crop, but the remaining grape
bunches ripened slowly and with complex flavors. There are
rare hints of pineapple along with an elevated spiciness and
caramel-like softness. Acidity, as always, is fresh and
prominent. True to the style of other Cloudy Bay Chardonnays
I’ve had over the years, but perhaps a bit nervier in style
due to the long cool growing season, this is a fleshy wine
that is made in the same traditional artisanal manner as the
Te Koko – a large proportion of natural yeasts for
fermentation in barrel and aging on the yeast. Perhaps not
as distinctively styled as the Sauvignons, this is
nonetheless an outstanding Chardonnay.

The one Cloudy
Bay red wine I tasted, the 2OO3 Pinot Noir, was as thrilling
as the whites. The category has excited me for some time and
there are a number of outstanding examples, although the
2OO3 vintage, perhaps again because of the concentration
level that the short crop necessitated, is among my
favorites. More producers are growing Pinot, and there is a
feeling that in the future it might even grow to overtake
Sauvignon Blanc as the country’s signature grape. Cloudy
Bay’s rendition is from Marlborough fruit (where almost half
of the country’s Pinot is planted, the other key region
being Central Otago in the far south), but the vineyards are
further south than the central Wairau Valley. While acreage
has been expanding, Pinot is an even more recent addition to
the vineyard mix than Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, and the
country’s first vines were actually planted, in the
Martinborough district on the North Island, as recently as
1984. Cloudy Bay’s 2OO3 Pinot is marked by a “Burgundian”
earthiness but also a more delicate, slightly
floral/vegetal, red fruit perfume. It’s somewhat silky, with
fresh acidity and a lingering spicy berry-like finish. This
is a wine that’s made according to a combination of modern
and traditional production disciplines: de-stemming and
pre-fermentation maceration on the grapeskins to extract
color and flavor as well as bleeding off of the excess
juice, but also fermentation with natural yeasts and manual
punching down of the grapeskins. It’s polished and smooth
and is a good candidate for the cellar.

As New Zealand
continues to impact the American market, producing wines
that are distinctive and delicious, with bright New World
fruit but also food-friendly cool climate structure, it’s
inevitable that we will embrace other varietals. There are
several Rieslings and Gewurztraminers on the market that are
exciting to taste and to follow from vintage to vintage. In
particular, the former grape seems to me to be establishing
a style that is unique: halfway between the austere
steeliness of traditional Alsatian renditions and the floral
minerality of the Rheingau, with appealing peachy aromas,
fresh acids and a sugar level that is poised just below the
threshold of perception. In my experience consumers have
positive quality associations with New Zealand and have been
willing to try most wines produced there (with the exception
of Pinot Gris and the red Bordeaux varieties, both of which
are hard sells). As the winery that set the wheels in
motion, Cloudy Bay continues to be a quality leader. Even if
their wines are hard to find they require a special search,
if only to find out what the excitement has been all
about.