Cloudy Bay Te Koko, Marlborough

Cloudy Bay Te Koko is a full-bodied barrel-fermented style of Sauvignon Blanc, not typical of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. It is similar in style to some barrel-fermented Sancerres and is released as a fairly mature wine after 18 months in barrel and 18 months in bottle prior to release. Cloudy Bay wines are available to buy at Fareham Wine Cellar.

Cloudy Bay: A New Zealand Pioneer

Cloudy Bay Vineyards was established in 1985 by Kevin Judd (now at Greywacke in NZ) and David Hohnen (then of Cape Mentelle Vineyards, now at McHenry Hohnen in Western Australia), and is today part of Estates & Wines, which is owned by the massive luxury goods company Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy.

The Cloudy Bay 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 Vineyards

The winemaking philosophy for Cloudy Bay Te Koko is very much ‘hands off’, and is the result of winemaking curiosity. 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes are sourced from some of Cloudy Bay’s oldest vines across four distinguished vineyards, producing grapes with high concentration and elegant, pure-fruited aromatics. These vineyards are in sub-regions where there are free-draining gravel-based soils with shallow sandy-loam horizons.

Te Koko Vinification

• Harvest: 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes are picked at night to ensure optimal condition upon arrival at the winery.

• Pressing and Settling: Whole grape bunches are pressed, and the juice is settled for 24 hours before racking.

• Fermentation:

  • Primary fermentation occurs in old French oak barrels (8% new) using indigenous yeasts, lasting 4–5 months.

  • Full malolactic fermentation follows in the spring.

• Ageing: The wine remains in barrels on yeast lees for 15 months.

• Bottling and Release: Bottled after ageing, then cellared for an additional 18 months before release.

Why Is It Called Te Koko?

The bay at the eastern extremity of the Wairau Valley of Marlborough, named Cloudy Bay by Captain Cook, was originally known as “Te Koko – o – Kupe” by the Maori people of the region. Legend has it that Kupe, the Tahitian explorer, dredged for oysters in the bay, and Te Koko refers to the scoop used by Kupe to lift the oysters from the seabed.