Background & Tasting Notes:
"A CHALLENGING SEASON REDEEMED BY IDEAL AUTUMN CONDITIONS, FINALLY PRODUCING A MODEST BUT INTENSELY FLAVOURED CROP" - www.cloudybay.co.nz
Pale straw green in colour and mouth-wateringly fragrant, the 2003 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc is redolent of a mid-summer kitchen ... ripe passionfruit, yellow plums, juicy limes and freshly picked basil.
The palate is pure and refreshing with all the hallmarks of a small but perfectly formed crop ... flavours that echo the aromas, with piercing concentration, impeccably balanced acidity ...and a long, crisp finish.
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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.
The 2003 growing season was punctuated by two severe spring frosts (October and then November) that caused considerable damage to newly formed shoots and grape inflorescences. The cumulative effect of these frosts and cool weather over flowering resulted in very small crops being set, in some vineyards well below 50% of expected yields. Summer weather conditions were settled and dry, but cooler than average temperatures were recorded from January through to March. Marlborough's sunny autumnal conditions came to the rescue ensuring physiological ripeness was achieved across all varieties – even though below average night-time temperatures prevailed throughout the harvest – and finally delivered a very modest crop with terrific flavour profiles and great fruit intensity.
The Sauvignon Blanc harvest began on the 3rd 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 17th of April.
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 August and subsequent bottling in September. Final wine analysis shows an alcohol of 13.5%, pH of 3.20 and titratable acidity 7.1 g/l.
