36 | WINEMAKING » Cloudy Bay Vineyards Cloudy Bay a ‘jewel Richard Loader “What sets us apart is our focus on quality and yield management,” says Cloudy Bay Viticulturalist John Flanagan (top). Cloudy Bay’s proud legacy as a ground breaking producer of high-quality sauvignon blanc stems back to the mid 1980s, but the Marlborough company has been part of the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) family since 2010, which in itself speaks of its esteemed place within the world of luxury goods. “Within the wine division of Moet Hennessy, we’re a jewel in the crown,’ says Cloudy Bay’s Viticulturalist John Flanagan. “We’re a highly successful business and reputationally we’re not seen as a poor cousin amongst the other stablemates. We’re not that big, but we’re seen to be a leader in the production of wine, particularly of sauvignon blanc.” In addition to sauvignon blanc, Cloudy Bay’s selection of Marlborough wines includes pinot noir and chardonnay. Pinot noir is also produced from grapes grown in Central Otago, and being owned by a company that produces up to 40% of the world’s champagne, it also produces a very good methode traditionnelle sparkling wine. “We’re sold in over sixty countries. Our most important markets these days are the US, UK, and then wider Europe, Australia, and Asia. The markets want us to produce more but our focus on quality means that we’re not always able to satisfy the market demand, and I think that’s a good way to be.” Cloudy Bay’s journey to international acclaim began in 1983 when Australian winemaker David Hohnen was invited to taste a Marlborough sauvignon blanc by a couple of travelling wine makers visiting his Western Australian winery. Considering the wine to be quite spectacular, David made the bold decision to cross the Tasman and craft his own variation. “David knew exactly what style he wanted to produce and chose his site where we are now in the central Wairau region, to manage the growth of the vines. It’s relatively infertile soil, pretty stony and bony, so you can control the vigour of the vines by the water and nutrients you apply. David wanted to create a style that wasn’t so green. Essentially, he wanted to look for the more citrusy and tropical components and that’s what he got by selecting the area. He produced his first vintage in 1985 and by 1986 had produced a pretty outstanding wine that put New Zealand sauvignon on the international map, becoming world famous within the space of a couple of years.’ In addition to the central Wairau vineyards, which are focused on sauvignon, there are some vineyards in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys that have more clay in the soil and produce pinot noir, chardonnay and sauvignon grapes. “In total we have 530 hectares in Marlborough and 30 hectares in Central Otago. We’re looking to grow the business but land values have increased from what they were 20 years ago and there’s no real bare land available anymore. So, it’s a matter of incrementally growing the business as neighbouring vineyards come up for sale.” John observes that wine styles have evolved over the years as tastes have evolved and it is now more about the expression of the fruit and the terroir that the fruit is grown on. “It’s evolution, not so much revolution in terms of styles. What has not changed is our focus on quality and making sure we can express what the vineyards are able to produce. “What sets us apart is our focus on quality and yield management. We do a lot of yield manipulation to bring the crop levels down to what we believe to be optimum, to achieve a concentration of flavour. We also minimise the amount of water we put on just to keep the vines in balance and by keeping the berry size quite small we get those concentrated flavours.” Cloudy Bay also has a holistic approach to sustainability and in addition to reducing its water inputs, is also reducing its use of herbicides with the goal of getting down to zero. “There’s a big focus on maintaining soil health, planting complementary crops alongside the vines like clovers and trying to reduce the amount of work we do on the soil. Energy use is another area of focus and we have a massive solar farm on our winery roof. We also recognise the value our RSE workers bring to the business and we’re looking to build a micro-finance fund to enable these people to make a difference back in their own home communities.” “We’re sold in over sixty countries. Our most important markets these days are the US, UK, and then wider Europe, Australia, and Asia. The markets want us to produce more but our focus on quality means that we’re not always able to satisfy the market demand, and I think that’s a good way to be.”
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