Cloudy Bay Vineyards

David Hohnen tasted his first Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in 1983. Driven by the desire to „bottle the essence of the region and share it with the world“ and to establish New Zealand as a wine country, he founded Cloudy Bay in 1985 together with winemaker Kevin Judd. In 2003, the partnership with Veuve Clicquot was formed, and in 2010 the winery became part of the LVMH Group.

Cloudy Bay is active in two regions. In the north of the southern main island, in the Marlborough region, the legendary Sauvignon is grown on stony and sandy soils along the Wairau River. Further south of the river, heavy clay soil predominates. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grow in the hills there.

The Central Otago region is located in the south of the island. Pinot Noir is grown here in various terroirs, which is then blended into the Cloudy Bay "Te Wahi" Pinot Noir.

In order to bring top quality and aromatic concentration into the bottle, yields are deliberately reduced. They are 30 % below the regional average.

Cloudy Bay is a founding member of Sustainable Winemaking New Zealand. The vineyards in Central Otago are already organically farmed, and further areas are in the process of conversion. "We are custodians of the land. Our job as farmers is to pass the land to the next generation in a better state than we received it."

© Images: Cloudy Bay Vineyards