Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 2015
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James
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Winemaker Notes
Aromatically, the 2015 Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc unfolds with a complex array of citrus and stone fruit, complemented by exotic floral notes on the finish. Flavors of grapefruit and white nectarine displays a fresh counterpoint to the richer notes of lemon curd and beeswax. The palate is tightly focused with a taut entry, though the texture builds towards the finish. This palate shape can be attributed to barrel fermentation and time on lees. The finish is an amalgamation of nectarine, glacé fruit and a subtle smoky oak complexity. Floral characters linger in the background: jasmine, honeysuckle and pollen.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Cloudy Bay was established in 1985 by David Hohnen, having previously founded Margaret River’s Cape Mentelle in 1970. Sauvignon Blanc was the first wine to be produced, quickly becoming instrumental in gaining New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc a worldwide reputation for quality. Having cemented its status as an iconic brand, the estate was bought by Louis Vuitton-Moët Hennessy in 2003 and is today set across seven vineyards in Marlborough’s Wairau Valley. Introduced in 2000, Te Koko was the forerunner of a new, more full-bodied style of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc fermented using indigenous ‘wild’ yeasts in French oak barrels, less than 10% of which are new. Rebecca Gibb MW: Notes of blackcurrant, nectarine and green capsicum come together harmoniously in this light-bodied, crisp and vivacious Sauvignon Blanc. Roger Jones: This has evolved beautifully; an elegant, buttery nose unveils a zesty and bright palate offering enticing notes of lemon curd and citrus peel, while restrained acidity fuels a lovely, lingering finish. Phil Tuck MW: Rich creamy oak on the nose; there is a good overall balance here and it has held up very well in bottle, with a perfectly-pitched oak influence that has not swamped the fruit.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As more wineries have adopted this style of Sauvignon Blanc, Te Koko isn't the standout wine it once was. That doesn't mean it's not still excellent. The 2015 Te Koko offers pungency and passion fruit on the nose, followed by a wine of great concentration and intensity. Hints of struck flint add complexity, while the mouth-filling palate boasts a rich, multilayered texture and a lingering finish. Only 8% aged in new French oak and about a third of the wine went through malolactic fermentation, leaving it with crisp acids and a great sense of elegance and balance.
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James Suckling
Plenty of chamomile and beeswax here, with dried lemon pith, grassy and woody complexity. The palate has an assertive line of lemony acidity that holds long, amid gooseberries and green mangoes. Gently nutty notes to close. Drink now. Screw cap.
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Wine Spectator
Stylish, offering an intriguing mix of honeysuckle, lanolin and beeswax flavors, with a spicy backdrop for the lemon curd, pear and yellow apple notes. Vibrant acidity.
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Cloudy Bay Vineyards, established in 1985, is today a partnership between champagne house Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin and co-founder of Cape Mentelle Vineyards in Western Australia, David Hohnen. The Cloudy Bay team is committed to producing 'wines of region' and strives to enhance the pure, bracing flavors naturally afforded by the climate and soils of Marlborough. The winery and vineyards are situated in the Wairau Valley in Marlborough at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island. This unique and cool wine region enjoys a maritime climate with the longest hours of sunshine of any place in New Zealand. Cloudy Bay has estate vineyards located at prime sites within the Wairau Valley and long-term supply agreements with five Wairau Valley growers. The main varieties grown are Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
An icon and leading region of New Zealand's distinctive style of Sauvignon blanc, Marlborough has a unique terroir, making it ideal for high quality grape production (of many varieties). Despite some common generalizations, which could be fairly justified given that Marlborough is responsible for 90% of New Zealand's Sauvignon blanc production, the wines from this region are actually anything but homogenous. At the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, the vineyards of Marlborough benefit from well-draining, stony soils, a dry, sunny climate and wide temperature fluctuations between day and night, a phenomenon that supports a perfect balance between berry ripeness and acidity.
The region’s king variety, Sauvignon blanc, is beloved for its pungent, aromatic character with notes of exotic tropical fruit, freshly cut grass and green bell pepper along with a refreshing streak of stony minerality. These wines are made in a wide range of styles, and winemakers take advantage of various clones, vineyard sites, fermentation styles, lees-stirring and aging regimens to differentiate their bottlings, one from one another.
Also produced successfully here are fruit-forward Pinot noirs (especially where soils are clay-rich), elegant Riesling, Pinot gris and Gewürztraminer.