Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2017

The 2017 growing season began with ideal spring conditions; warm temperatures and few frost events encouraged good canopy growth. Settled weather over flowering led to high potential crops, fruit thinning was widely employed to reduce yield and achieve optimum vine balance.

Fastidious canopy management throughout the mild and sunny growing season ensured fruit developed, then ripened, at an ideal rate. The excellent weather during the ripening season was interrupted by rain events during the harvest.

The single-minded quality focus of the viticulture and winemaking teams, with hour by hour assessment, led to optimum picking decisions. Our low-yielding, early-ripening vineyards with their open canopies, stood us in good stead in what was a tricky vintage across Marlborough and New Zealand.