The Wines

"The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc leads with a distinct nose of freshly picked curry leaf, crushed sea shells, lemon zest, asphalt, mustard seed, dried coriander/coriander seed and white flesh orchard fruit. This is powerfully fruited, has great energy and drive and unsurprisingly, offers great pleasure and satisfying drinking. This is a very smart, savory wine here."                                                        

"Rich aroma of fresh pea pod, smoky grapefruit and clementine. Initially showing a little less obvious smoky/flinty reduction than in some vintages though this character shows more as the wine opens in the glass. Aromatic on the palate, too, with green fruits, clementine and fresh herbs and a mouth-watering salty aftertaste. Masses of acid tension to balance the ripe fruit, long smoky/flinty aftertaste. This is a decisive style of NZ SB but it is head and shoulders above the other 2024s in this line up, not just in complexity but also in depth of fruit."

"The youthful 2024 has all the signs of a top vintage. Bright, light lemon/green, it is mouthfilling, sweet-fruited and tightly structured, with deep, vigorous, passionfruit/lime flavours, good acid spine and a dry, sustained finish."

"Back in March in my MoneyWeek column, I wrote up the 2023 vintage of this wine, which is a superb creation in its own right, and the 2024 vintage was, in turn, the pick of this dozen. It looked superb straight out of the bottle, with a little more weight and presence than the others, and it had real flair and energy. Then, it continued to blossom over two days while the others faded. Once again, there were none of the unwanted canned fruit salad or tropical notes that I despise, and I was left thinking of some of the more textural and expressive Pouilly-Fumes that appeal to me, such is the control and formality that Dog Point shows on its finish."                         

"An excellent bouquet and palate with scents and flavours of citrus and nettles, fresh sage and grapefruit, apple and a layer of green passionfruit fresh lychee nut. Crisp and dry with plenty of mouthfeel, saline qualities and freshness. Some time on lees adds to the texture and length. Delicious, fresh, balanced and well made."

"An absolute stand-out wine from the 2024 vintage, this has all of the telltale Dog Point flinty reduction which seems to mark all of their wines. This is made from Dog Point's organic parcels and is a wine which has a good track record of ageing in the mid-term. Distinctive reduction on the nose leads to quite a structured palate with layered complexity over a ripe core of apple. Young, tight and with very good concentration, this is classic, displaying lovely balance and length on the pure, precise finish where a touch of minerality emerges."

"This is excellent, as always, showing flint, sliced lemons and fresh green melon. Some Thai basil too. Medium body, crisp acidity and lots of fruit at the end but with focus and tension."

"Dog Point's whites are known for their distinctive flinty, reductive characters that sometimes go too far. But lately, this producer has reined it in, striking the perfect balance so that the white peach and guava fruit shine, too. There's chalky, pithy textural components and a tautness that suggests a happy few years of aging. If drinking now, a little aeration in glass won't hurt."

"Stunning, complex and distinctive, with notes of flint and smoky litsea oil giving way to plump and juicy mango, peach and lemon curd flavors. Dried pineapple, lemon oil and fresh ginger elements are sleek and mouthwatering, with a white tea detail on the finish."

"The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc is far from the wham-bam mass-produced Marlborough style. This is relatively restrained and textural, with far lower yields, hand-harvesting and whole bunch-pressing before most of the wine went through an indigenous fermentation. On first opening, there's a struck match character that needs some air to blow off to reveal lemon and lime, tangy green characters of nettles. It's balanced and seamless, exuding a sense of calm in the mouth with an attractive, lightly grippy texture on the refreshing finish."

The most complex of Marlborough sauvignons is looking the goods in this warmer vintage. There's a heady reductive layer that delivers flinty grapefruit notes and lemon pith. The palate texture is superb; starts on point and builds weight and layers of texture through the mid-palate with abundant gooseberry and lime flavor, then finishes pure, focused and true.

This starts off a bit nutty and funky, but give it time in the glass and it delivers bright aromas of nectarine and grapefruit in addition to the nut and dough notes. Despite this wine’s weight and richness, it’s crisply focused on the finish, where its grapefruit flavors really linger. It should prove relatively long-lived.

Weighty and rich, with toasted-nut overtones and a long, crisp finish.

"This classy wine is estate-grown and hand-picked on the south side of the Wairau Valley, fermented and matured for 18 months in French oak barriques (typically 10 per cent new), and given a full, softening malolactic fermentation. The 2022 vintage (*****) was harvested from vines averaging 28-years-old.  Bright, light lemon/green, it is still a baby, but already approachable. Mouthfilling, vibrantly fruity and savoury, it has rich stonefruit flavours, gently seasoned with biscuity oak, lively acidity and a tight, finely poised finish.  Best drinking 2027+. Certified organic."

"This classy, finely structured red is estate-grown on the south side of the Wairau Valley, hand-picked and matured for 18 months in French oak barriques. The 2022 vintage has a fragrant, savoury, youthful bouquet. Full, bright ruby, it has layers of berry, plum, spice and nut flavours, fresh acidity, and very impressive harmony, complexity and length."

"Strawberries, flint, caramel, minerals and terra-cotta character, as well as fresh tea. Medium-bodied, this has crunchy fruit, crushed flowers and a fine and polished finish. Delicate and delicious with some weight."

"The 2022 Pinot Noir leads with black cherry and star anise, strawberry top and a hint of pomegranate molasses. The wine is light and chalky, with attractive clarity in the glass and brilliant length through the finish. There is a dusting of cocoa and licorice at the edges of the aromas. It’s a beautiful wine, one that ages slowly and gracefully over the decades. The tannins here are grippy and yet pulverized in structure; they serve to cup and cradle the fruit, never intrude but forever guiding."

"This wine encapsulates the outstanding beauty, weight, silky texture and supple expression of Pinot Noir from the sun drenched clay hill slopes of Marlborough’s Southern Valleys. Aromas of fresh red fruits, bright fresh acidity and a well matched medium body all suggest a long life ahead for this new release Pinot Noir."

"Blackberry, cola and dark smoky notes reluctantly emerge on the nose of this young, closed wine. The palate is equally restrained; the fairly concentrated dark fruit only appearing towards the back as it rises above the serious, chocolaty tannins and wood. Compact, really quite oaky and backward, this does have sneaky length and under the fine structure is plenty of promise and perfume. Give it a couple of years in the cellar to integrate and watch it bloom."

"Bright, fresh wine with typical varietal/regional characters including capsicum, gooseberry, lemongrass and passionfruit. Appealing purity with a perfect sweet/sour balance. A pleasure to taste."

"Intense, oak-matured sauvignon blanc with lemongrass, oyster shell, ginger, spicy oak and nutty yeast lees flavours. Bright, complex and satisfying wine that takes Marlborough sauvignon to a different level."

"Alluring scents of ripe citrus and apple, peach, quince and a touch of golden kiwifruit Fabulous bouquet and palate with aromas of fresh peach and gun-flint minerality, new and used barrel with a nutty cashew complexity, baked apple and quince. Delicious, fresh and dry with a satin touch, back bone of acidity and flavours of barrel, flint, mineral and oak. Fine tannins, a lengthy finish and delicious complexity."

"Intense, mouthwatering chardonnay with lime, pineapple, oyster shell/mineral, hazelnut and subtle spicy oak flavours. Delicious high-energy wine in a rather Chablis-esque style with purity and power."

"Intense, appealing pinot noir with subtle floral aromas together with concentrated red berry, dark chocolate, liquorice, wood smoke and spicy oak flavours. Powerful wine with obvious cellaring potential."

"Hand-picked from its own vineyards in Marlborough, Dog Point's Sauvignon is bright, crisp and super-fresh, more typical in Marlborough style than the barrel-fermented 'Section 94' cuvee, with huge punch and verve. Passionfruit is there, with tropical notes suggesting lychee and guava, a touch of capsicum, but really all about the fruit. In the mouth the texture has some richness and mealiness to it, the citrus blast of the acidity balanced perfectly against the more unctuous, tropical fruit into a dry and beautifully balanced finish. Typical and yet not, this is a fine example of Marlborough's unique Sauvignon style."