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Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand
About this product
The wine that created the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc category. Kevin Judd's inaugural 1985 vintage established the pungent, lifted, passion-fruit-and-capsicum style that redefined New Zealand wine internationally. The current wine maintains the house style: lifted thiols (passion fruit, guava, grapefruit), methoxypyrazines (capsicum, green bean), and the clean, razor-sharp acidity of the Wairau Valley floor. Non-vintage blend of Wairau and Awatere sources.
The deductive profile Library
colourPale straw-gold
finishClean, crisp, medium length — citrus and mineral echo
aromaPassion fruit, grapefruit, white peach, capsicum, cut grass, lemongrass
clarityClear, brilliant
flavourVivid, high-toned — passion fruit and grapefruit upfront, capsicum/green herb, refreshing acidity
style notesThe defining Marlborough style — deliberately aromatic, fresh, exuberant
Service
glassSauvignon Blanc glass (medium bowl, upright)
food pairingOysters, Pacific salmon sashimi, fresh chèvre, Vietnamese spring rolls, green salads, asparagus
no decantingTrue
serve temp c8
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Pairings
complement
cheese
Cloudy Bay's bright Marlborough Sauvignon bridges the fresh chèvre; both express clean herbaceous freshness
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food
Cloudy Bay and Bluff oysters are New Zealand's most celebrated pairing; the passion fruit mignonette echoes the wine's tropical notes
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seafood
The high acid and citrus of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc mirrors the saline acidity of a Pacific oyster. The lemongrass and citrus in the wine brings out the sweetness of the oyster flesh. The capsicum/green herb character bridges to the slight iodine of the shell. The BC oyster and NZ wine combination is a Pacific Rim expression — both flavours derived from cold Pacific waters.
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cheese
The Loire classic — Sancerre with chèvre — is replicated in the New World by Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with fresh goat cheese. The wine's grapefruit acidity balances the lactic tang of the cheese. Both have a mineralness derived from their respective terroirs. Classic and reliable.
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cheese
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shellfish
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and New Zealand green-lipped mussels are twin icons; the wine is even used in the broth
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seafood
Cloudy Bay's bracing acidity cleanses the briny Bluff oyster; a New Zealand national terroir pairing
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Asian
The herbaceous-citrus character of Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most effective bridges to South-East Asian cuisine. The mint and coriander in Vietnamese spring rolls amplify the wine's own herbal thiols. The lime dipping sauce mirrors the wine's citrus. The prawn's sweetness contrasts cleanly with the wine's acidity.
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salmon
The citrus-herbaceous character of Cloudy Bay navigates the rich fat of Pacific sockeye without overpowering it. The wine's acidity cuts through the salmon's fat in the same way soy-citrus does in the Japanese tradition. The ginger amplifies the lemongrass notes in the wine.
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