Cloudy Bay Pinot noir 2020 is a dry red wine from New Zealand's Marlborough region, built in a fragrant, silky and fruity style. The winery, founded in 1985, is today recognised mainly for its Sauvignon blanc, but Pinot noir has accompanied it almost from the beginning – David Hohnen and Kevin Judd planted the first Pinot noir vines in 1989, and the first vintage of the wine was released in 1994.
The fruit comes from the Southern Valleys subregion, located to the south of the Wairau valley. The grapes grow on cool clay soils and gently sloping, north-facing hillsides; ancient alluvial gravels and dense clay subsoil balance drainage and water availability. The three main valleys – Brancott, Omaka and Waihopai – abound in clay soils, on which lie Cloudy Bay's three vineyards: Barracks, Mustang and Delta.
In vinification the grapes are destemmed and transferred to open fermentation vats with wild yeasts, with a partial share of whole clusters to build structure, and after pressing the wine matures in French oak for 11 months.
In the glass the 2020 vintage presents itself fragrantly and aromatically. The nose is filled with rose petals, dark cherries and blackberries, while on the palate a rounded core of blackberry fruit, ripe boysenberry and wild strawberry is knit together by silky tannins and delicate acidity – this is a wine that is concentrated yet elegant. James Suckling rated the vintage at 92 points, describing aromas of roasted strawberries, red cherries, rosemary and porcini.