Since 1985, Cloudy Bay’s mission has been to secure the highest vineyards and produce the highest quality liquid. Made from the iconic New Zealand Marlborough vineyards and utilising over 30 years of experience, discover the fruity depth of their latest expression, Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2019.
Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2019 is dark-fruited and appealingly aromatic on the nose.There is an immediate sense of depth, with notes of bramble fruit, graphite and morello cherry. Fine, well-integrated silky tannins which frame a palate of victoria plum, loganberry and autumnal fruit, are balanced by bright, juicy acidity, resulting in a long finish and exceptionally more-ish.
Cloudy Bay’s carefully selected Pinot Noir sites are located within the southern Wairau Valley Vineyards, including the very special Barracks vineyard. The iconic Marlborough vineyards are stratified with top-soils of aged alluvial gravels and dense clay subsoils and the vines are trained with a vertically shot positioned canopy. By balancing drainage and water availability, this soil composition yields Marlborough’s best Pinot Noir.
The 2019 season started with an early bud burst after a mild winter and warm early spring. Cool and unsettled weather came through the region in late spring, around the time of flowering, leading to lower yields than average. The unsettled weather continued through December, but was replaced after Christmas with consistent conditions, and a period of warm and dry weather extended all the way into harvest, allowing fruit to ripen evenly on the vines. The Pinot Noir was hand-picked from February 27th until April 2nd at a point of excellent flavour concentration and acid balance.
For the vinification process the Pinot Noir fruit was gravity fed into the open topped fermentation vessels, with 7% whole-bunch inclusion. The skins were gently plunged, with an average of 16 days skin contact. After fermentation the wines were matured in French oak for 11 months, of which 35% was new. Final analysis of our 2019 Pinot Noir shows a pH of 3.59,TA of 5.24 g/L and an alcohol of 13.51%.
Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2019, RRP €46.80, is available nationwide from independent stockists including Higgins Clonskeagh Dublin, Jus De Vine Dublin, Wine Online Dublin, On The Grapevine Dublin, The Wine Centre Kilkenny and O’Briens Wines, Donnybrook Fair and select SuperValu stores nationwide.
