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Dog Point Vineyard
Chardonnay 2020
Marlborough
James Healy and Ivan Sutherland will tell you that it’s hard for them to grow much Chardonnay at the extremely high quality level they want for this wine. As with their Section 94 and Pinot Noir, the wine is distinctive due to extraordinary vineyard holdings, intense vineyard management geared towards low yields and hand-picked fruit, and long, low touch winemaking. The effect this work has on the Chardonnay, by nature the least expressive of these three grape varieties, is wild – the wine is intensely expressive, with loads of fruit, leesy character, and chalky minerality that is almost textural. As with all the wines they produce, it is considered a national standard bearer of a different shade.
Vineyard
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Dog Point has Chardonnay planted in part on clay and silty valley floor vineyards, and in part on surrounding clay loam vineyards. Two clones predominate, 75% Mendoza and 25% Clone 95, with some plantings dating back to 1981. Grapes are, as always, hand-picked (95% of New Zealand’s vineyards are machine harvested).
Dog Point operates under what is called the “Biogro” program, an initiative to promote the production of premium quality wine utilizing environmentally friendly and responsible practices, details of which are further down.
Winemaking
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Hand picked and gently pressed straight to barrel (10% new) for eighteen months. No juice clarification with 100% wild primary and secondary fermentation. Bottled without fining and with only minimal filtration.
Vintage
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A warm growing season with very dry conditions between January and April with only 45mm falling (less than 30% of the average). A season which will be remembered for other reasons however, with calm decision making and patience were required. That patience resulted in perfect ripening conditions at the end the harvest, and the hand-harvested fruit required very little sorting. Over-all a very rewarding vintage — one of the best the region has experienced in recent years.
Tasting Note
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A ripe citrus spectrum of fruit is at the core of a complex chardonnay with spice, toasted nuts and gravelly, flint aromas. A pure and focused palate with a bright, crunchy structure and fine acidity. The complex barrel aged flavors also imparting textures that carry on the back of the fine acidity.
Color
White
Grape Varieties
Chardonnay
Appellation
Marlborough
Farming
Certified Organic & Sustainable. All vineyards were converted to organic farming in 2009. 2,000 sheep graze and fertilize in winter; prunings are composted and spread; 25 steer also graze the property.
Alcohol
13.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$42
Reviews
"Silky texture"
James Suckling - November 28, 2022 (Top 100 Wines of New Zealand 2022) "Inviting aromas of flint, matchstick, grated nutmeg, dried lemon rind and sliced grapefruit. Medium-bodied with silky texture. Fresh and bright fruit turns more savory with herbs and spice coming to the forefront. Layered. Tannic, tight finish." -J.S 11/22
"Salted butterscotch, brioche"
Wine Spectator - August 18, 2023 "Succulent and mouthwatering, with a snappy mix of lemon curd, lemon blossom, and flint elements. Shows more nuanced notes of salted butterscotch, brioche and litsea oil that linger in the background, while the fresh, vibrant acidity is sleek on the finish, providing focus and length." -J.S 11/22
"Almond skin and puff pastry"
Wine & Spirits - August 18, 2023 "Flinty reduction is the most immediate impression, before the luscious texture and fresh finish begin to take its place. This fruit, including some from vines planted in 1981, is pressed directly to barrel (10 percent new), where it is left to ferment on its own yeasts and age with all of its lees for 18 months. It develops scents of almond skin and puff pastry, with acidity to keep it firm and mouthwatering, especially with roast veal of rabbit. Or, as Corey Warren suggested, “Bring it to a blind tasting group and see who calls Meursault." -J.G. 2/23
"Salted butterscotch, brioche"
Wine Spectator - October 13, 2023 "Succulent and mouthwatering, with a snappy mix of lemon curd, lemon blossom, and flint elements. Shows more nuanced notes of salted butterscotch, brioche and litsea oil that linger in the background, while the fresh, vibrant acidity is sleek on the finish, providing focus and length. " -M.W 10/23
Reviews
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Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/300400NV.png)
Pinot Noir
Dog Point's renown as a Sauvignon Blanc producers has done nothing to lessen the enthusiasm around their Pinot Noir, today considered one of the finest in New Zealand. What sets their wine apart is the generosity of the structure, which comes off as rich but not sweet, and the complex mingling of fruit and savory notes.
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/300200NV.png)
Section 94 Sauvignon Blanc
Section 94 is widely regarded as the most distinctive and greatest Sauvignon Blanc being made in New Zealand today. James Healy and Ivan Sutherland were among the first to begin fermenting their Sauvignon in barrel with wild yeasts, a technique that along with the old vines they use, leads to a full-bodied wine that is less fruit-forward, more exotic, and has immense textural complexity.
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/00300100NV-1.png)
Sauvignon Blanc
Dog Point's Sauvignon Blanc has become the icon in its category, a stainless steel Sauvignon Blanc that pulsates with energy, expressiveness and complexity that push the boundaries of what you may expect from Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.