Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2023

The Dog Point Vineyard was planted by Ivan and Margaret Sutherland back in the late 1970s, making it one of the oldest privately owned vineyards in Marlborough. Ivan Sutherland met James Healy in the 1990s when they worked together at Cloudy Bay, Ivan in viticulture and James in winemaking. In 2002 Ivan and James decided to leave Cloudy Bay to start their own label and they launched Dog Point in 2004 using fruit from the 2002 vintage. 

"If you’d like to taste Sauvignon Blanc in its modern day glory, look no further. The Marlborough sunshine and pinpoint precision in the vineyard and winery is all found here. Sourced from estate fruit in the Wairau Valley you’ll find star fruit, passion blossom, juicy pineapple and guava. The abundance of fruit continues on the palate with an electric line of acidity and sea spray finish. The dryness of the wine takes elegance to another dimension. Sith purity and drive, this is a triumph of a vintage and its magic is captured in the bottle."  Shanteh Wale

"Pale straw colour. Pure and bright perfume with aromatics of grapefruit and white peach. Subtle smoke and gravelly tones layered over this create a complexity beyond the immediate fruit profile. Juicy, plush, white fleshed fruit pour across the palate with a refreshing and defined acidity balancing the sunny fruit profile, finishing clean and dry. Drinks beautifully now or can comfortably be cellared for five years or more."  Dog Point

Expert reviews

"This is one of the best Sauvignon Blancs made in New Zealand each year. It has distinctive complex aromas, a medium body and fabulous purity of flavour with tangy lemon adding to the tropical flavours we all know and love in Sauvignon. This wine has more weight, depth, and length than most Sauvignon Blancs and over-delivers, big time."  Joelle Thomson – 19.0/20 points

"A stellar wine from an outstanding vintage. Grapefruit, guava, passionfruit and other fruits abound on an intensely flavoured palate with oodles of varietal flavour. But it's the focus, precision and mouth-watering acidity that bear testament to the exceptional quality of the wine. As good as Sauvignon Blanc gets."  Nick Munday, Canterbury Wines - 96 points and Special Value Wine  ★ 

"If you’d like to taste Sauvignon Blanc in its modern day glory, look no further. The Marlborough sunshine and pinpoint precision in the vineyard and winery is all found here. Sourced from estate fruit in the Wairau Valley you’ll find star fruit, passion blossom, juicy pineapple and guava. The abundance of fruit continues on the palate with an electric line of acidity and sea spray finish. The dryness of the wine takes elegance to another dimension. Sith purity and drive, this is a triumph of a vintage and its magic is captured in the bottle. Drink now with raw scallop ceviche."  Shanteh Wale, Wine Pilot – 95 points

"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. Drink: 2023-2026."  Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review - 95 points

"The thought-provoking 2023 vintage is arguably the best yet. Pale lemon/green, it is full-bodied and vigorous, with penetrating, ripe, passionfruit/lime flavours, showing a distinct ouch of complexity, and a dry, long finish. Still unfolding, it should break into full stride mid-2024+."  Michael Cooper Buyer’s Guide to New Zealand Wines  ★★★★★

Awards

Special Value Wine – Canterbury Wines  ★

Wairau Valley

Wairau Valley is one of three major sub-regions within the famous Marlborough wine region of New Zealand, accounting for around 45% of Marlborough's fruit. It the northernmost of the main wine-growing areas, which also include the Awatere Valley and the Southern Valleys (refer to the map below). 

Wairau is a Māori word meaning "many waters". The subregion is broadly defined by its proximity to the 170km long Wairau River that runs from the mountains in the west to the ocean at Cloudy Bay. Marlborough's earliest vineyards were established on the characteristically alluvial river plains that include the acclaimed Rapaura and Renwick areas.

The Wairau Valley sits closest to the Richmond Ranges which see more rainfall than the Wither Hill range that dominates the Southern Valley. It is these ranges that protect the Wairau Valley and Marlborough from weather events coming from the north and north west.

Old riverbed and riverbank soils, diverse aspect and rainfall give many meso-climates within this subregion. Broadly, it covers cooler, drier inland sites, barren stony, early ripening sites to sea breeze moderated coastal sites. Soils are more gravelly to the north nearer the riverbed. Within this, wines reflect the individual terrior but all have the hallmark pure fruit intensity and body.

Marlborough and its sub-regions

Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc

"Grapes are picked from eight of our own vineyards within the Wairau Valley. Cropped at an average of 10 tonnes/hectare. The fruit is whole bunch pressed, cold settled before fermentation and 4 months aging in stainless steel tanks. A portion of this wine is fermented using indigenous yeast. Bottled without fining.

The wine is our version of the classic dry aromatic style of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The citrus core of flavours are juicy and intense with deliciously refreshing saline acidity. The wine calls for simple fresh seafood but can also be enjoyed as a pre-dinner aperitif."  Dog Point

Marlborough sub-regions

About the winery

James Healy (left) and Ivan Sutherland (right)

The Dog Point Vineyard was planted by Ivan and Margaret Sutherland 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, a very desirable area for grape growing in Marlborough, 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.