Cloudy Bay
Pelorus
Background
The Wines
Pelorus is the sparkling wine label of Cloudy Bay, comprising two styles crafted from chardonnay and pinot noir grapes. Sunny skies and the long cool summer days of Marlborough ensure the slow ripening so essential for achieving the elegance, crispness and complexity inherent in a quality sparkling wine.
Pelorus Vintage and NV are both produced using traditional vinification techniques; the grapes are hand-picked, and only the free-run juice is extracted to ensure palate softness and elegance.
The base wines (chardonnay and pinot noir) are fermented in a mix of stainless steel tanks, large oak vats, and small French oak barrels to give layers of complexity. These base wines undergo spontaneous malolactic fermentation, which softens the natural acidity and adds depth of flavour and richness. They then spend a minimum of eight months on yeast lees prior to blending and tirage.
Pelorus NV
Pelorus NV remains on lees for two years prior to disgorging.
Pelorus NV is a chardonnay-predominant blend of selected vintages. It is a fresh, aperitif style sparkling wine with apple-crisp flavours, underpinned by nutty yeast complexity derived from two years bottle maturation on lees.
Pelorus Vintage
Pelorus Vintage spends 3 years on lees prior to disgorging.
Made in limited quantities since 1987, Pelorus Vintage is a complex blend of pinot noir and chardonnay. Released at four years of age, the style is generous and full-bodied, brimming with richly concentrated fruit and a creamy mousse.
The Name
'Pelorus Jack' was a famous dolphin who, for more than 20 years around the turn of last century, met the steamers crossing between the two main islands of New Zealand and escorted them through the Marlborough Sounds. His descendants abound in the waters of Cloudy Bay and their image has become the symbol of Pelorus.
