Pinot Noir

Enjoy this Pinot Noir with smoked duck breast, grilled portabello mushrooms and rack of venison.

The 2018 growing season began in fine style, with settled conditions and no frost, leading to an early budburst and successful flowering. . Work was undertaken in the vineyard to manage both canopies and yield to guarantee that the fruit was of optimum quality and this attention to detail ensured that, while there were several rain events during the latter part of the season, fruit was brought into the winery in excellent condition. We hand-picked the Pinot Noir from March 15th until April 2nd, at a point of excellent flavour concentration and acid balance.

After fermentation the wines were matured in French oak for 11 months, of which 35% was new.

The Pinot Noir fruit was all de-stemmed before being gravity fed into the open topped fermentation vessels. The grape skins were gently plunged with an average of 18 days skin contact.

Cloudy Bay Vineyards established in 1985 is today a partnership between champagne house Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin and co-founder of Cape Mentelle Vineyards in Western Australia David Hohnen. The Cloudy Bay team is committed to producing 'wines of region' and strives to enhance the pure bracing flavors naturally afforded by the climate and soils of Marlborough. The winery and vineyards are situated in the Wairau Valley in Marlborough at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island. This unique and cool wine region enjoys a maritime climate with the longest hours of sunshine of any place in New Zealand. Cloudy Bay has estate vineyards located at prime sites within the Wairau Valley and long-term supply agreements with five Wairau Valley growers. The main varieties grown are Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.