Dog Point Chardonnay 2003

"A sensational white more in the mould of a good Chablis than anything I have tasted from Marlborough bearing the word chardonnay. Made with handpicked grapes treated to full indigenous yeast fermentation, 100 per cent malolactic fermentation and loads of lees stirring. Taste fresh, citrusy and is seductively mouth-filling."  Joelle Thomson, Viva

"The chardonnay was barrel fermented with wild yeast and has a deliciously tangy wine with a dash of toasty oak, the flavours of grapefruit and lemon, and a dry intense aftertaste."  Tim Harris, New Zealand Herald

"The 2003 Dog Point Vineyards Chardonnay is one of the best New Zealand chardonnays I have tasted. It is remarkable that it comes from Marlborough, a region usually renowned for chardonnays with over-the-top acids and pronounced buttery tastes. This chardonnay flouts that busty cleavage style, sporting a far more subtle and European style. It is a chardonnay for those who are supposedly overdrinking the stuff."  Joelle Thomson, Viva

James Healy and Ivan Sutherland (left and right)

Ivan and Margaret Sutherland planted the Dog Point Vineyard back in the late 1970s, making it one of the oldest privately owned vineyards in Marlborough. The vineyard is centrally located at the confluence of the smaller Brancott and Omaka Valleys, on the hill slopes of the Southern Valleys (refer to the map below). It is a very desirable area for grape growing and is neighbour to the first commercially planted vineyard in Marlborough, planted in 1973 by Montana. 

Ivan Sutherland met James Healy in the 1990s when they worked together at Cloudy Bay, Ivan in viticulture and James in winemaking. This was during the time when Cloudy Bay put quality Marlborough wine (particularly Sauvignon Blanc) on the map. In 2002 Ivan and James decided to leave Cloudy Bay to start their own label, with Ivan providing the fruit and James making the wine in one of those classic wine partnerships. They launched the Dog Point label in 2004 using fruit from the 2002 vintage. It came as no surprise to anyone that Dog Point hit the ground running and produced, and continues to produce, wines of the highest quality. 

The property is planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grown under organic principles. Fruit for the wines is sourced from the older well-established vines planted back in the late 1970s and supplemented with fruit from newer closely planted hillside vines. The Sauvignon Blanc vines are on average 25 years old, the oldest being well over 30 years of age. The Section 94 vines that go into the single vineyard, barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc are 30 years old. The average vine age for the Chardonnay is 30 years old, with the oldest vines being 40 years old. The Pinot Noir vines date back to the early 1980s, making some of them around 40 years old.

Dog Point vineyard and Marlborough sub-regions

We want you to enjoy your wines as soon as possible and endeavour to dispatch orders as quickly as we can. It may take us a little longer during sales or peak trading periods, so kindly keep that in mind if you are purchasing for a special occasion.

Shipping Cost

Delivery is free on any order of 12 or more bottles to Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Sunshine Coast, Wollongong and rural Victoria.

On orders of 12 or more bottles to all other areas, we cover a percentage of the shipping costs. Shipping is calculated at checkout.

For orders of less than 12 bottles Australia wide, shipping is calculated at checkout.

Insurance

All orders are fully insured.

Standard Delivery

We use Australia Post and a Specialist Wine Courier (Anonymous Wine Freight) for domestic deliveries. Your location will determine which of these delivery services will be available.

Couriers will not telephone ahead to notify you of time of delivery and delivery on specific days can not be guaranteed.

While a large number of destinations are serviced within 48 hours or less, please allow up to 14 days for delivery within Australia.

Specialist Wine Delivery Service

We offer a specialist temperature-controlled wine delivery service called Anonymous Wine Freight to deliver your wine if you live close to the CBD in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney or Perth, or live in Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Mornington Peninsula or Geelong. If Anonymous Wine Freight services your postcode, the option to use them will appear on checkout. Here is a link to the list of postcodes they service. 

They are highly recommended as they ship in refrigerated transport to climate-controlled warehouses in each metro area before they make their way to your delivery address in air-conditioned vehicles for the last kilometers. In addition, they will even call you by phone at the time of delivery if they encounter any problems.

Please find their delivery schedule below.

Pick-up

If you live in Melbourne, you can pick up your order from our office in Camberwell by prior arrangement. Please select the 'Pick Up' delivery option during checkout and we will contact you to arrange a suitable time for pick-up once the order has been packed.

What if I won’t be home?

If you may not be home at the time of delivery and would like the wine left in a safe place, please give Authority to Leave (ATL) and any delivery instructions in the 'DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS & ATL' at the bottom of the shopping cart, located just above the CHECKOUT button. 

If you have requested delivery with Australia Post and have not given Authority to Leave, a signature will be required on delivery. If you miss the postman, the order will be taken to your local Post Office for collection.

If you have requested delivery with our specialist wine courier (Anonymous Wine Freight) and have not given Authority to Leave, the driver will phone you for instructions if you are not at home at the time of delivery. If he can't contact you, the order will be taken to their local depot and can be re-delivered subject to a $20.00 fee.

Summer Heat Policy

If during hot weather you would like us to delay dispatch of your order to avoid potential heat damage to your wine please let us know. We are more than happy to store your order in our climate controlled warehouse until the weather is cooler. Please add the request in the 'DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS & ATL' at the bottom of the shopping cart, located just above the CHECKOUT button.

Alternatively, we may email you and request to delay dispatch of your order until the weather is cooler. If this happens, you can of course request immediate delivery if you wish.

International Shipping

We deliver wine to a number of destinations worldwide. If you require overseas delivery, please email us with the relevant information and we will advise you if we can deliver to your selected destination and the shipping costs involved.

International orders are supplied GST free. Please be aware that you will be responsible for the payment of all duties and taxes that are levied by your local authorities.

Minimum order requirements apply.