DOG POINT SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020

Selected for the 2020 Fine Wines of New Zealand List

Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc always offers something a bit more than the vast majority of Marlborough Sauvignons. There is an extra level of complexity and flavour interest that takes the variety to a different level. There is a smokiness evident on first opening, but this disappears to reveal the layers of juicy fruit. From the outstanding 2019 vintage, this is a standout wine.

Winery notes (2019 Vintage)
"Our version of the classic aromatic Marlborough style of Sauvignon Blanc. Grapes are hand-picked from eight of our own vineyards within the Wairau Valley. Cropped at an average of 7.5 tonnes/hectare (50hl/ha). The fruit is whole bunch pressed, cold settled before fermentation and 2-3 months aging in stainless steel tanks. A portion of this wine is fermented using indigenous yeast. Bottled without fining.

A lifted and perfumed Sauvignon Blanc with strong citrus characteristics leading into ripe tropical tones. Complimentary flinty and smoky notes linger in the background providing a complex balance to the primary fruit. The wine is juicy and mouth filling with vibrant ripe fruit. A fresh line of balanced acidity supports the soft, round texture."

5 Stars Michael Cooper (2019 Vintage)
"This classic wine offers a clear style contrast to Section 94, Dog Point's complex, barrel-aged Sauvignon Blanc (see the Branded and Other White Wines section). Hand-picked at several sites in the Wairau Valley, it is lees-aged in tanks but handled without oak. The classy 2019 vintage is highly aromatic, weighty and sweet-fruited, with intense, ripely herbaceous flavours and a crisp, dry, very long finish. Best drinking mid-2020+. Certified organic."

94/100 Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, March 2020 (2019 Vintage)
"It has some richness of tropical fruit, but tang of grapefruit and gooseberry too, slight spice of cut green capsicum, though ripeness of fruit is the main theme. It has intensity and crunchy, a quartz-y texture in with a light creamy silkiness, and the finish is tight, flinty and long, and very passionfruity, leaving just a little smokiness in its wake. Flavour and precision. Seems to be a very good vintage for this wine."

17/20 JancisRobinson.com (2019 Vintage)
"Very slightly reductive, struck-match nose and extra-bright fruit with strong passionfruit aromas and a certain amount of delicacy. Chalky finish. Lots of interest here. Very youthful and energetic indeed. Complimenti!"

Reviews for the 2018 vintage below..

5 Stars & 95/100 Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review (2018 Vintage)
"Low yielding vines have produced a wine with ripe, concentrated tree fruit/nectarine, red capsicum and guava flavours. A rich, gently tangy and deliciously accessible wine that stood out from the crowd in a tasting of 2018 wines."

92/100 Cameron Douglas MS, December 2018 (2018 Vintage)
"Varietal, fruity, distinctive and very engaging aromas of fresh herbs, apple and mango, some passion-fruit and grapefruit. Intense, fruity, varietal and engaging on the palate with flavours of sweet lemon and apple, tropical fruits and peach, some spice and sweet hay. Plenty of acidity, decent weight, lengthy and classic. Drink now and through 2022."