A CHALLENGING SEASON REDEEMED BY IDEAL AUTUMN CONDITIONS,
FINALLY PRODUCING A MODEST BUT INTENSELY FLAVOURED
CROP.
Winemakers
Notes
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.
Vineyard
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.
Season
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.
Harvest
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.
Vinification
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.
Cloudy
Bay Chardonnay - Cloudy
Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Cloudy
Bay 2003 Sauvignon Blanc Vintage
