Our Story

Cloud No.9 was born from a belief that, in the right place, with a shared purpose, it is possible to give life to people’s guiding passions. Our passion is wine – and not just any wine, but a pure expression of the fruit that rises from the fabled soils of Marlborough.

It all began with a chance meeting between Christian and David, both fellow graduates of the University of Adelaide’s Roseworthy college. Part of a new generation of independent winemakers, they wanted to shake up the industry a little. When you’ve been in the business of making wines for long enough it’s only natural that you’d yearn to make something special, and the dream of creating their own expression of Marlborough followed.

Our promise with Cloud No.9 is a wine that embodies a respect for wine-making’s finest traditions, a wine that evokes New Zealand’s mythologies, captures its modern-day spirit, and offers a taste of something as ineffable and exhilarating as a teenager’s first kiss. We invite you to join us. We think you’ll be captivated too.

Christian Butler

Founder

Christian is a winemaker with a true entrepreneurial spirit. His early experimentations with concentrating grape flavours earned him a Commonwealth Government grant and European scholarship. After graduation he ventured into the commercial world of wine and spirits, serving on the tasting panel and buying team for the Wine Society, and then at Fosters Group. But the production loomed large in his imagination and he struck out to produce Vintages as a cellar hand at Sevenhill Cellars in the Clare Valley, and at Coriole in McLaren Vale. From there his wine journey took him to the far corners of the globe, and he was hooked.

“For many grapes, the art of fermentation is what releases the flavour, but here in Marlborough it is striking to see pre-existing flavours before we even begin this process. There is a distinct line between the two, and it inspires me every time the vintage comes around. Marlborough is a place like no other. Here you can taste Sauvignon Blanc grapes off the vine and see the wine in the glass before it is even made.”

David Tyney

Chief Winemaker

David is a bit of a flying winemaker. Born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia, he started out at Yalumba Wines in the Barossa Valley, followed by a year in California for Constellation Brands. It was there that David decided to get serious about winemaking, moving to his family’s vineyard on the South Island of New Zealand to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Winemaking and Viticulture. From there he took a winemaking position with Giesen in Marlborough, to hone the art of making Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, and then a good stint as Group Winery Manager for MVL group. In 2012 he decided to focus on the new breed of wines, and now splits his time between working vines in Ningxia, in the Yunnan Province of China, and right here in New Zealand.

“Making wine involves so many variables and when all of these come together, magic happens. My philosophy is simple - from region to region, vineyard to vineyard and season to season - only time and experience will allow the winemaker to put his or her own mark on the winemaking at that moment. Managing this, and pushing the boundaries, allows the creation of truly unique wines of distinctive character and influence.”

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