Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2025

Reviews for the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2025

Erin Larkin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 94/100. The 2025 Sauvignon Blanc is fleshy and intense, as is the style of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, and there is enough savory extract and shape in the wine to elevate it beyond the norm. Here, we have grass clippings and brine, green olive tapenade, passion fruit and pineapple husk. The acidity is saline, and all elements work together toward a common goal. I recall, in context, this wine looking a little sweeter and fleshier than some of its regional peers, and yet here today in isolation, it looks tight, textural and composed. It's very good indeed.

Jamie Goode, Wine Anorak : 93/100. Highly aromatic, as you might expect at this early stage in its life, with green-tinged elderflower, citrus and passionfruit notes: quite intoxicating. The palate has some riper pear and crystalline citrus, together with nicely elegant green notes, a hint of tomato, and a fine white pepper finish, as well as a touch of grapefruit. Crisp, textural and delicious, this is benchmark Marlborough Sauvignon.

MaryAnn Worobiec, Wine Spectator: 93/100.Concentrated and fragrant, with lemongrass, lemon verbena and celery salt notes to complement the pineapple, mango and lemon curd flavors, backed by a touch of orange sherbet. Gains momentum on the long, expressive finish. Drink now.

Kevin Davy Critic & Tasting Manager for James Suckling (JamesSuckling.com): 92/100. Vivid, round and juicy, with lemons, limes, fresh herbs and some mild spices on the nose, following through to a medium body with fresh acidity. Lively and succulent, with a delicious finish packed with limes. Drink now.

Tasting note

Already in the glass, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2025 seduces with a multifaceted bouquet of fresh lime, juicy peach, delicate elderflower, and crisp lemon. On the palate, it is expressive and dense, with notes of ripe pear, bright citrus fruits, and white stone fruit seamlessly merging with a fine salinity and minerality. A masterfully integrated, vibrant acidity lends it structure, leading into a long, concentrated, and complex finish.

Aromas and flavours:

Additional information

Type: White wine

Varial: Sauvignon Blanc

Food match: Sauvignon Blanc 2025 is a natural match for almost any seafood. Some of our favourites at the winery include tempura oysters, locally-caught sashimi, and steamed mussels with garlic, citrus and parsley. It’s also a great match for green salads and goats’ cheese. A hint from us: if it goes with lemon, it goes with Sauvignon Blanc.

Drinking temperatur: 8-10°C

Alcohol: 13.5% vol

Total acidity: 6.7 g/l

Residual sugar: 1.29 g/l

Bottle size: 0.75l

Notice: contains sulphites

Vineyard: Marlborough, New Zealand. Cloudy Bay's Sauvignon Blanc fruit comes largely from vineyards planted on the Wairau Valley floor, where the climate and free-draining gravelly soils are perfect for Sauvignon Blanc. This includes the Estate, Motukawa, Widow’s Block, Red Shed, and Mustang vineyards.

Growing season:  The growing season began cold and unsettled, with some sharp frosts over the flowering period. This resulted in a lower-than-average crop as summer arrived, and arrive it did. In Marlborough, the Cloudy Bay team experienced their driest 10 months since records began, with drought being declared in mid-March. The low soil moisture levels meant that the vines were almost entirely dependent on regular irrigation applications to sustain them through the summer. It was also beautifully sunny, and certainly a blessing from a disease-control point of view. The lack of rainfall reduced the yield still further than the spring frosts, and the warm weather led to an early harvest. Fortunately, cooler nights from late February onwards, ensured that ripening slowed and acid balance was retained. With the fruit in pristine condition, this ideal climate gave Cloudy Bay the time to slow down the decision making as they approached harvest. Each of the blocks was able to reach its full potential before picking.

Winemaking: Following the harvest, the free-run juice was cold settled, before racking and inoculation with selected yeast. Fermentation was carried out primarily in stainless steel tanks, with around 1.5% of the blend fermented at warmer temperatures in large format oak vats. A portion was also fermented using wild yeast to build texture and complexity. As usual, the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc was blended stringently to include only the best; in 2025 the team tasted over 90 different portions, of which 55 were selected to create the final blend.

Cellar potential: 2028+

Closure: Screw cap

Produced and bottled by: Cloudy Bay Vineyards Limited, P.O. Box 376, 230 Jacksons Rd, Blenheim 7240, New Zealand

Distributor: Moët Hennessy Deutschland GmbH, Seidlstrasse 29, 80335 Munich, Germany

Ingredients: Grape, antioxidant: ascorbic acid, preservatives: sulphites

Can't get enough of Sauvignon Blanc? Here is our Sauvignon Blanc assortment.