TN: 2020 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc - serious stuff

2020 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc

After reading very positive TNs from Tom Cannavan and Phil Wilkins I ordered a case last week. In addition I knew my wife would love to have a case of Cloudy Bay at home.

A case arrived today and I put immediately a bottle in the fridge and served it tonight together with a Wild garlic/Bärlauch-Risotto. I have to say I am impressed. Normally a SB from Cloudy Bay is more a kind of easy drinking-wine for me. BUT this 2020 version is really serious stuff. Great balance with flavors of elderflower, blossoms, green herbs and a nice salty&mineral finish. Lovely purity&focus which reminded me a little bit on a cool-climate vintage from Germany. Thankfully the flavors are not over the top or overloaded. Bottom-line we killed the bottle in less than 1h and this is clearly the best compliment for a wine. Finally, good cellar potential.

91-92/100

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Cheers,
Martin

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but . . . but . . . but . . . travel shock!!

Seriously, that sounds great. I’ve always liked the wine, if not quite enough at its price point to chase it, but I’ll look for a 2020 and give it a whirl.

Thanks for the note . . . just bought the last 3 bottles of 2018 my usual retailer has . . . and one of 2019. Looks like they’ve sold through that and are now pedaling 2020. Quick turn! May need to stop by to grab some of the 2020 to give it a whirl.

Cloudy Bay Sauv Blanc (I think around 2006/07) was one of very the first wines where I “got it”. The grapefruit, bitters, grassy note, complexity, acidity… didn’t know grape juice could do such a thing before. It’s a fabulous bottling and IMO has been for a long time. I haven’t tried it in a few years but will look to pick up a few 2020s for the summer. Thanks Martin

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There’s a ton of very good, if you like the acid driven grapefruit, tropical, SB style from NZ at Trader Joe’s for dirty cheap. Oyster Bay, Te Mata, and Craggy.

It’s a great summer wine and very refreshing. My only knock on NZ SB is I get palate fatigue.

„I have said several times that 2020 is a great vintage. People tend not to associate Sav Blanc with great vintages. 19/20/21 looks like being the first time Marlborough has ever had three great vintages in a row, and each one potentially better than the one preceding it.

The previous great vintage was probably 2015, and before that 2013 and 2010. The last time we had two in a row was probably 07 and 08, and the latter only for certain producers. We tend not to have “average” vintages anymore.

With global warming we are getting much drier and warmer summers, unfortunately we are getting wetter and colder Springs, which badly affects flowering, and in extreme cases, as we are seeing in Europe, increases the frost risk.“

Kevin Courtney from Marlborough

I cant remember if I’ve had the 2020, so I’ll need to rectify that. I consider Greywacke (Kevin Judd the original cloudy bay winery) and Dog Point (his protégés at cloudy bay) the sort of true inheritors in terms of vineyard source and winemaking of the original cloudy bay style.

I cant remember if I’ve had the 2020, so I’ll need to rectify that. I consider Greywacke (Kevin Judd the original cloudy bay winery) and Dog Point (his protégés at cloudy bay) the sort of true inheritors in terms of vineyard source and winemaking of the original cloudy bay style.

I’m intrigued, Maritin . . . I will have to check out a bottle.

I didn’t want to think so for a long time, but good vintages of this wine are seriously good.

Just ordered a bottle with a 2020 Greywacke as well for delivery, I will give it a go on Saturday night.

I met Kevin Judd from Greywacke a couple of years ago in Berlin and I rated Greywacke higher than Cloudy Bay. Outstanding wines!

Jim,

normally I am not a big fan of the classic flamboyant flavors of exotic fruits, as you know I am a Riesling purist.
But the 2020 version is clearly on the lime&citrus, blossoms and herbs side, which reminded me rather on a White Bordeaux.

I’m hoping we move out of this current cold snap so I can try a NZ 2020 or two. Due to readily availability and very reasonable price, I’ve been sipping on a few of Kim Crawford’s Loveblock brand SB’s over the past few years.

Here a video about the vintage 2020, the wine and most importantly the influence of the pandemic regarding the harvest.

Pretty much what my wife drinks. I am like you, palate fatigue very quickly, for me generally after about half of a glass. I will say, however, the New Zealand Sauvignon blocks are ridiculously consistent from year to year, producer to producer, and generally are exceptional values

I would argue that no wine, categorically, has improved more in the last decade than NZSB.
Used to know exactly what you were getting, no matter who the winery was. Enjoyable, but monolithic. The “gin and tonic of wine”.
Now I’m seeing more variety and complexity every year. Single vineyard stuff, and multiple bottlings per producer.

Greywacke Wild Sauvignon Blanc is the only one I’m familiar with that I would compare favorably to Cloudy Bay. I think I even prefer the Greywacke.

We drink a ton of SB at our house, and Dog Point is a favorite. I have a hard time discerning it from Cloudy Bay, so enjoy the 30% discount. I didn’t realize the proteges relation you mentioned, though. What a small world!

I try not to get into the NZ SB’s until the (northern hemisphere) fall of the following yr, so still drinking 18’s and 19’s. I just saw the Cloudy Bay at a local wine shop and passed, I’ll have to go back and get some.

Cloudy Bay was the one that opened my eyes to SB. Brander probably was my introduction, and somewhere along the way I discovered and went gaga for Merry Edwards.