Dog Point Vineyard
Section 94 Sauvignon Blanc 2017
Marlborough
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.
VINEYARD
The single vineyard parcel called Section 94 was planted in 1992. The vineyard is managed to reduce yields, and as is the case with all Dog Point wines, fruit is hand-picked (only 5% of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is hand-picked). The soils are free draining silty clay loams on the flats of the valley, as these express intense citrus and grapefruit flavors. 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.
WINEMAKING
Hand picked and gently pressed to tank for 24 hours of settling prior to eighteen months fermentation and aging in used French oak barrels. 100% natural ferment. Bottled without fining and only minimal filtration.
VINTAGE
2017 was a cool, wet, and late-harvesting year in Marlborough, producing wines of a more restrained and focused character than the region’s warmer, more tropical vintages. A wetter-than-usual growing season slowed ripening and pushed harvest later than average, emphasizing natural acidity and herbal, citrus-driven aromatic expression over the exuberant tropical fruit of sunnier years. Volume lower than 2016, reduced further in some areas by Cyclone Debbie during harvest, which arrived before some fruit could be picked. The wines that made it are precise & linear.
TASTING NOTE
Pale straw. Lifted aromas of granny smith apple, lemon rind, orange blossom and elderflower. Bright, elegant citrus palate with a saline finish.
FOOD PAIRING
Oysters, grilled asparagus, seared snapper
Color
White
Blend %
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation
Marlborough
Alcohol
13%
Suggested Retail Price
$45
Reviews
James Suckling - September 30, 2019
Trade Materials
Videos
Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc
August 14, 2019 - Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough is from estate grown, hand picked, low cropping vines. Learn more about how this wine is made by watching this video...
Other Wines by this Producer
Sauvignon Blanc
Dog Point’s Sauvignon Blanc takes a category of wine and completely transcends it, with an intensity, depth and energy that so obviously sets it apart from the first encounter. When they decided to make a pure stainless steel vinified Sauvignon Blanc, Dog Point pushed to the ultimate every process to produce top quality, distinctive wine. They hand-pick fruit at low yields, green harvest at times, and ferment partially with indigenous yeasts. This wine helped make Dog Point a key advocate of premium wine production in New Zealand, and for New Zealand across the world.
Chardonnay
Several influential voices in the wine industry believe that in time Chardonnay may prove New Zealand's single highest achievement. All three of the Dog Point wines fermented in barrel are small in production, but the Chardonnay is the smallest, and and times indeed the most dazzling.
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.
