Dog Point Private Tasting

There is something exciting about a private wine tasting at a cellar door that is not a cellar door (but rather the staff-room for the vineyard workers), conducted by the wine maker. Don’t ask me how I managed it, as it was a friend of a friend of a friend and some obscure name dropping that got me an appointment. All that said, I drove down a back road and arrived in amongst the farm machinery and vineyard workers to be greeted by the chief winemaker Murray.

Dog Point Vineyard is a family owned organic vineyard on the gentle hill slopes of Marlborough’s, Southern Valleys. They produce only 4 wines, sauvignon blanc, barrel fermented sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir. My tasting progressed in order with Murray sharing the Dog Point winemaking philosophy as he described each wine.

Dog Point wines are produced with care and consideration by a passionate team of winemakers and wine producers committed to making exceptional wines. The sauvignon blanc is delicate, restrained yet complex and a refreshing change from the standard Marlborough sauvignon blanc. The section 94 (barrel fermented) sauvignon blanc is a subtle take on a fume blanc. Matured in neutral oak this wine retains the aromas of a sauvignon blanc with depth added from lees contact and micro-oxygenation from the barrel. The chardonnay is balanced and lean and the pinot noir rich and earthy with bright aromatics and gentle tannins.

In general, I tend to be a little cautious of organic, unfiltered, unfined wine. My experience has often been the wines do not live up to the promise. This is not the case with Dog Point! I think because they only make 4 wines, they make 4 exceptional wines. They make each one with care and with consideration, tweaking each vintage to ensure exceptional quality.

These are delicious wines and well worth drinking when you find them. https://dogpoint.co.nz/