Cloudy Bay has released the 2025 vintage of its flagship Sauvignon Blanc, the wine that helped introduce New Zealand wine to the world and put the Marlborough region on the map.
When Cloudy Bay released its first Sauvignon Blanc in 1985, few outside Aotearoa had ever tasted New Zealand wine. That inaugural vintage, with its unmistakable purity and energy, caught global attention and helped shape what New Zealand wine would become known for.
More than forty years later, Cloudy Bay remains a benchmark for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, inspiring a global following and continuing to define the country’s most recognisable wine style.
The 2025 season in Marlborough unfolded at its own pace, with fruit ripening steadily and evenly. The result, a wine that expresses refined, but vibrant citrus and stone-fruit aromatics, crisp acidity and a long, refreshing finish that reflects Cloudy Bay’s precision and style.
Director of Winemaking Nikolai St George reflects on the 2025 harvest season, the decisions made in the vineyard and the craftsmanship that defines this year’s forty-first vintage. His perspective captures the balance, energy and purity that remain at the heart of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.
“The 2025 season was one of both challenges and rewards,” he says, “Every vintage has a chance to honour what made Cloudy Bay special, while bringing something fresh to the table. This year's release has that same clarity and quiet confidence that first put Marlborough on the global wine map. This is a vintage defined by patience, as we needed to sit on our hands and allow the fruit to reach perfect balance. This has resulted in a wine that feels elegant, pure, and deeply expressive of both who we are, and our distinctive terroir here in Aotearoa.”
In the vineyard, patience and a few clever tools helped the team ensure only the finest fruit reached the winery. Technical Viticulturist Hannah Ternent says the 2025 harvest was charged with a sense of momentum. “Harvest is always a time of high energy and excitement,” she says. “Months of work go into getting the fruit to this point, and you really feel that effort come together when the fruit starts coming in. This season everything felt connected, from the vineyard to the winery. When the fruit reaches its full potential, you can taste the team’s work in every glass.”
To celebrate the launch of Cloudy Bay’s 2025 Sauvignon Blanc, renowned New Zealand chef and friend of Cloudy Bay, Ben Bayly, created a series of summer-ready food pairings that highlight the wine’s vibrant freshness. Designed to inspire relaxed and simple at-home dining, the pairings champion the Kiwi love of fresh, seasonal ingredients.
“Sauvignon Blanc has this amazing clarity and drive that makes it a serious food wine,” says Bayly. “The 2025 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc is all lime, juicy stone fruit and a little salty edge, with fine texture, so it cuts through richness and makes flavours feel brighter. It loves clean seafood, so think Moana kingfish with citrus and herbs, fish off the grill with olive oil and greens, or something raw like scallops or snapper with a bit of crunch. Fresh seafood, a warm evening and a glass of this, and you are in a very good place.”
Reflecting on the harvest, Nikolai St George concludes, “Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc has always been about balance, precision and a true sense of place. It is effortless and refined at the same time, and that is what makes it so uniquely ours."
