Cloudy Bay

In 1983, David Hohnen tasted a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for the first time. Fascinated by its intensity, he set out to capture the essence of this region in a bottle and share it with the world.

Together with winemaker Kevin Judd, he founded Cloudy Bay in 1985, achieving immediate international acclaim thanks to a Sauvignon Blanc that put New Zealand wines on the global map. Cloudy Bay’s legacy began in Marlborough with Sauvignon Blanc, but today also includes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pelorus, crafted using the traditional method. The spirit of adventure lives on with Te Koko, a barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc, and Te Wāhi, a sophisticated Central Otago Pinot Noir from two distinctive southern vineyards.

Marlborough was Cloudy Bay’s first home in New Zealand — the place where its first vineyards were planted, the winery was built, and the elements came together to create its unmistakable Sauvignon Blanc style. Today, it farms 163 estate parcels and works in partnership with 65 grower blocks.

The areas near the Wairau River have stony, sandy, free-draining soils, ideal for its iconic Sauvignon Blanc. Further south, in the Southern Valleys, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards thrive on heavier clay-based soils, which, combined with the region’s maritime climate, create the perfect environment for the captivating style that defines the estate.

Before 1987, there were no vineyards in Otago. In a landscape dominated by sheep farming and under the imposing shadow of the Southern Alps, it seemed unthinkable to grow vines. Yet, in just two decades, Central Otago’s vineyard area increased ninefold, granting this — the world’s southernmost wine region — an iconic status. In Central Otago, Cloudy Bay owns two vineyards with complementary terroirs: Calvert, in Bannockburn, with loamy, silty soils and gentle slopes that deliver fine tannins and silky textures; and Northburn, with rocky, glacial soils and steep slopes that yield wines of great structure and intensity. The blending of grapes from both sites gives Cloudy Bay Te Wāhi Pinot Noir its balance, elegance, and power.