Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2021

Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2021     

Grape: 100% Pinot Noir, destemmed with 5% whole bunches used, wild yeast fermentation, 11 months' maturation in French oak barrels (30% new)

Producer Tasting Note:

The Pinor Noir 2021 is incredibly pretty and enticing on the nose, with notes of boysenberry, cherry and fragrant, dusky florals. On the palate, crunchy dark cherry, cranberry and hedgerow fruit notes burst in the mouth and bring an immediate sense of freshness. The tannins are super-fine, effortlessly underpinning the intense and succulent fruit character.

Fruit for this Pinot Noir comes from the cool clay soils and rolling, north-facing slopes of Marlborough’s Southern Valleys region. The aged alluvial gravels and dense clay subsoils balance drainage and water availability to yield the region's best Pinot Noir grapes. Key blocks include the Mustang, Delta and Barracks vineyards.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"I recently tasted a 2006 Pinot Noir from magnum (although whether a magnum format is relevant under screw cap is to be discussed) at the estate in September 2023, and the wine was superb. It was aging slowly and still exhibited loads of fresh fruit, but it had that ethereal delicacy that older Pinot can achieve. Here, the 2021 Pinot Noir is soft and floral, red fruited, supple and succulent. It is delicious. It's totally pleasurable as a young wine, and given the trajectory of the 17-year-old wine I so vividly remember, this has a long future in front of it. Lovely! 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap." Drink 2023-2043

93+/100 points, Erin Larkin, WINE ADVOCATE, November 2023

"Red wine made exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes grown mainly in the Mustang, Delta and Barracks vineyards, planted in Marlborough, with fermentation in open tanks (5% whole bunches) and aging for 11 months in French oak barrels, 30% of which are new. Full of layers of aromas and flavors, it draws attention for its refreshing acidity and tense, fine-grained tannins, which envelop its red fruits, ripe to the point, giving the wine fluidity and depth. Full and structured, but also precise and refined, it has a juicy and persistent finish, with earthy, floral, cherry, currant, cranberry and spice touches. Alcohol 13.5%."

93/100 points, REVISTA ADEGA (Brazil), April 2024

Also "GOLD" medal at the 2024 Sakura Awards (Japan)

Food Match: Pair with a wide variety of foods, including lighter game meats (duck, rabbit), lamb, roasted vegetables, berries, herbs and almost anything chargrilled.