Dog Point Marlborough Chardonnay 2021
Pronounced notes of gunflint and struck match on the nose are followed on the palate by ripe citrus and stone fruit flavours. Focused, with a fine core of acidity and an almost crystalline purity on the mid-palate, giving way to a nutty, spicy finish.
The grapes come from vines planted on silty-clay loam soils, with some gravel interspersed. The vines are 78% Mendoza clone and 22% Clone 95 with an average age of 27 years and are cropped at around 6 tons per hectare. All harvesting is carried out by hand.
The grapes were whole-bunch pressed straight to barrel (10% new), without clarification and fermentation took place using indigenous yeasts. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation took place and the wine aged for 18 months in barrel before being bottled unfined and with minimal filtration.
| RRP | £28.95 |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Alcoholic strength | 13.5% |
| Awards | 94 pts, James Suckling |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | South Island |
| Subregion | Marlborough |
| Grapes | Chardonnay 100% |
| Dry/Sweet value | 1 |
| Contains sulphites | Yes |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Milk | No |
| Eggs | No |
| Organic | Yes |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Screwcap |
Back in 1979,when the Dog Point vineyard was first planted by Ivan and Margaret Sutherland, Marlborough was a long way from being the household name amongst wine drinkers that it is today. The investment proved to be a sage decision, and as the popularity of Marlborough grew (thanks in no small part to Ivan Sutherland's work as chief viticulturalist at Cloudy Bay), the fruit from this vineyard in Marlborough's southern valleys became highly sought after. Whilst working at Cloudy Bay, Sutherland met James Healy, who was then the !head winemaker, and together they aspired to produce their own wines. This dream came to fruition with the 2002 vintage and the first wines made under the Dog Point name were released in 2004, quickly winning global acclaim. Dog Point's icon status has been maintained through a meticulous approach in both the vineyard and the winery, now the responsibility of the next generation of the Sutherland family who have taken charge. All the grapes from the low-cropped, organic vineyard are hand-picked and the wines are either partially or fully fermented with wild yeasts. The focused range of just four wines allows for a house style that marries complexity and drinkability, producing distinctive and age-worthy wines that are recognisably Dog Point.
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