DFS and Cloudy Bay celebrate launch of limited release pinot noir

“Te Wahi means ‘Our Place’ in Maori, a name chosen because we believe that great pinot noir speaks eloquently of its place of origin,” says Cloudy Bay

SINGAPORE. DFS and Moët Hennessy Asia Pacific hosted an exclusive dinner in Singapore last week to mark the launch of the new Cloudy Bay Te Wahi 2010. This limited release pinot noir from Central Otago, New Zealand, was introduced exclusively in DFS stores at Changi Airport in mid-April 2013.

Selected members of the DFS Platinum Services Club (PSC) were invited to be among the first in Asia to preview the inaugural release. The invitation-only dinner took place on 26 June at the Mandarin Oriental hotel’s Dolce Vita restaurant and hosted 30 PSC members and their guests, along with representatives from DFS, Moët Hennessy Asia Pacific and selected members of the media including The Moodie Report.

Cloudy Bay Senior Winemaker Tim Heath was also on hand to take guests on a special tasting of a range of specially selected Cloudy Bay wines. “One thing I’d really like to convey tonight is that Cloudy Bay goes beyond just Sauvignon Blanc. Yes, everyone knows Sauvignon from Cloudy Bay but there are a lot of other wines that we work on,” he said.

Besides the 2010 Te Wahi Pinot Noir – which Heath described as a “great complement” to the winery’s other offerings – the evening’s selection included Pelorus Rosé, 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, 2011 Chardonnay, and 2006 Late Harvest Riesling, all of which were paired with a specially created five-course menu.

The production of Te Wahi 2010 Pinot Noir is limited to 1,000 cases (12,000 bottles), with DFS Changi having access to over 50% of the volume.

The Cloudy Bay dinner took place at the Mandarin Oriental’s Dolce Vita restaurant, hosting 30 DFS Platinum Services Club members and their guests

DFS Changi Airport General Manager Parker Gundersen (left) and Moët Hennessy Director of Travel Retail Andrew McLaren (right) extend a warm welcome to invited guests

Cloudy Bay Senior Winemaker Tim Heath taking guests on a special tasting of Te Wahi 2010

The lively evening concluded with a lucky draw that saw three guests walking away with a bottle each of the Cloudy Bay Te Wahi Pinot Noir 2010

About Cloudy Bay Te Wahi Pinot Noir 2010

Made from pinot noir grapes sourced from select vineyards in Central Otago, Te Wahi 2010 was described as “a natural progression” of the Cloudy Bay pinot noir programme which explores the wine styles achievable from a range of pinot noir vineyards.

Te Wahi is Maori for “the place”, a name chosen because Cloudy Bay believes that great pinot noir evokes its place of origin.

Cloudy Bay Te Wahi Pinot Noir 2010

“The Cloudy Bay pinot noir programme was initiated in the early 1990’s with the goal of making the most expressive pinot noir wines from New Zealand,” explained Cloudy Bay Winemaker Nick Blampied-Lane. “We are enjoying the adventure of exploring new vineyard sites and regions.”

Cloudy Bay purchased its Brancott Valley Mustang Vineyard in 1994. The vineyard team then set about obtaining vine clones from Burgundy which were best suited to that particular site as well as continuing to identify vineyard development sites on the heavier, more even clay composites of Marlborough’s southern valleys. In 2003, they planted a Cloudy Bay estate vineyard dedicated to pinot noir on the elevated slopes of the Omaka Valley at the Barracks Vineyard. More recently, Cloudy Bay has ventured into the Upper and Lower Awatere and Dashwood sub-regions.

In 2009 Cloudy Bay released its Mustang Pinot Noir, a vineyard-specific wine made from grapes grown in Marlborough’s southern valleys. According to the winery, Te Wahi is the next step in Cloudy Bay’s journey to explore new ‘places’ for Pinot Noir, this time in Central Otago.

Pinot noir vineyards are comparatively young in New Zealand, noted Nick Blampied-Lane. “There is still so much to be discovered. In exploring the greater landscape of New Zealand pinot noir, we will continue to hone our skills as grape growers and winemakers.”

The grapes for the Te Wahi 2010 were hand-picked from Central Otago vineyards in the Bannockburn, Bendigo and Lowburn sub regions.

Te Wahi Pinot Noir 2010 is described as crimson red in colour and offering intense blackberry and boysenberry aromas with an edge of barrel char on the nose. Complex layers of spice, cloves, cinnamon, dried herbs and liquorice follow. The palate is focused around a core of spiced red fruit and dried herbs.

With its protracted ripening season, 2010 has been referred to as one of Central Otago’s most powerful and concentrated vintages on record, the winery noted.

About Cloudy Bay

Cloudy Bay was established in 1985 by David Hohnen, the founder of Cape Mentelle winery in Margaret River. The original winery and estate vineyards in Jackson’s Road, Marlborough were developed shortly after that.

Cloudy Bay was named after the bay to the eastern extremity of Marlborough, which was full of silt – creating cloudy water – when Captain Cook discovered it. The Richmond Ranges meet Cloudy Bay and border the Wairau Valley at the winery and vineyards, and are the inspiration behind Cloudy Bay’s label.