I would since I was introduce to Cloudy Bay many moon back, I personally would say this is by far one of the Best Cloudy Bay’s Sauvignon Blanc 2022. A perfect Cloudy Bay white wine that is so easy to drink and easily pair with my dishes. Fishes, seafood, mild curry, sashimi and dessert would be one of the best combination for this wine. 

Were privilage to attend the launch of this new Cloudy Bay’s Sauvignon Blanc 2022 with its new bottle design reference the brand’s heritage while marking a new chapter in Cloudy Bay’s story. and a great pairing with freshly flown oysters from a few different countries.

What makes this year bottle so great? It could be during pandemic the air is clean, great weather to for the grapes to grow to comes to its unique flavor, also mixture of terroir and technique brought the wine safely to bottle. In the face of dowsing rain and humidity, Cloudy Bay’s vineyard sites managed to produce perfect fruit. Care and diligence in the vineyards kept it safe until the moment picking could begin.

For technical director Jim White, it was a white-knuckle ride to the finish. “It’s these more challenging years that we really see the strength and importance of our vineyard sites,” he says. “Despite the troublesome weather, the fruit was perfect, which is pretty remarkable, really.”

The special pairing is with Josh Green, Founder of Shucked Oyster and Seafood Bar

When you nose it, it has a bit of  mild citrus, zesty and vibrant fragrant. Filled with notes of juicy citrus and makrut lime underpinned by subtle white nectarine and passionfruit notes.

Personal thought is a good well balance of white wine filled with hint of mild fruity, citruszy, zesty, very mild fruity acidity. Definately have to drink it in chill to get the best taste. 

We were then after our first appetizer pairing. This is like oh ! My ! Gawd! just blew my mind away on how fresh these oysters are.

1. Tasmanian Prime oysters from the pristine shores of Tasmania
2. Holland’s inland saltwater lakes catch of well-known “flats” called grand Dutch Imperial Natives, 
3. Ireland for one of the best oysters in the world known as the Irish Premium Oysters called Gallagher Specials
4. Personal favourite : the spectacular wild caught Cloudy Bay clam from the home of the wine, Diamond Shell Cloudy Bay Clam.

Every oyster that you take, while sipping it thru with Cloudy Bay’s Sauvignon Blanc 2022, it just creates different experience and aroma, taste and enhancement of both wine and oyster. You must try it yourself at Shucked Oyster and Seafood Bar

“This is only the third time that we’ve changed the label, and we wanted to continue those really distinctive elements that made it so recognisable back when it came out in 1985,” White said.

The new design also represents a step forward for Cloudy Bay’s global sustainability efforts. The bottle is made in New Zealand from recycled glass, and the accredited cardboard packaging is fully recyclable.

“That’s only a very small part of our sustainability programme,” White said. “At the moment, we’re putting a 400-kilowatt solar power system to generate electricity for our winery. And we have a whole lot of other sustainable practices, which go all the way back to our vineyards, our soils, our water, and our waste products.”

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc’s fresh new look belies the challenging 2022 vintage. While the growing season was optimal, heavy rain right before harvest threatened to derail the grape’s potential. But a mixture of terroir and technique brought the wine safely to bottle.

“It’s these more challenging years that we really see the strength and importance of our vineyard sites,” White said. “Despite the troublesome weather, the fruit was perfect, which is pretty remarkable, really.”

This resulted in a wine that is a lot more citrus-forward this year, delivering vivid reminders of grapefruit, guava, and passionfruit. “I always describe it in colours,” White said. “It’s a bit more yellow-green this year, while the 2021 vintage was more yellow. For the stone fruit characteristic, it’s more crunchy white nectarine than ripe peach. But it’s still very much in the typical Cloudy Bay spectrum.”

Duo of Canape – Salmon Roll Gratin with Ikura & River Scampi Crispy.For starter, we had Japanese Tai Carpaccio serve with tangy zest dressing.
Soup was Potato and Leek Veloute serve with truffle rosti potato crisp with caramelized nama scallop. A5 Miyazaki Wagyu with Portobello Mushroom Confit and Garlic Pea Sprout, Roma Tomato Pesto Smoked Garlic Theme Jus.

Passion Fruit Mango Tart serve with fresh mango dice.

This will be a remarkable one for Cloudy Bay, with its 2022 Sauvignon Blanc greeting the world in brand-new packaging. 

Since this is festive season. Definitely this will be one of my recommended white wine.