Dog Point Pinot Noir, 2018, Marlborough, New Zealand

Regular price £30.00 Sale

Our View:

A delightful Pinot Noir from the Marlborough region, floral, fruity, complex and delicious with silky soft tannins.

This outstanding Pinot Noir from the renowned Dog Point in New Zealand is a must for your collection - enjoy now or age for 10 years or more to develop further complexity.

The Wine:

Dog Point is one of the oldest privately established vineyards in Marlborough with first plantings in the late 1970s. The vineyard is centrally located at the confluence of the smaller brancott and omaka valleys. This location is widely considered to be a very desirable area for grape growing in the southern valleys of Marlborough.

The property is sensitively planted to sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir. Older well-established vines are situated on free draining silty clay loams. This is supplemented with more recent plantings on closely planted hillside blocks on soils with a clay loam influence.

Marlborough is blessed with one of the sunniest and driest climates in New Zealand. The significant diurnal temperature range between cool nights and sunny days allows ideal conditions for the long slow ripening of grapes.

Soils are crucial to the character of the wines. Most soils have been laid down within the last 14,000 years carved and eroded by glaciers in the high country and carried down to the coast by melt-water rivers.

A mild spring free of frost alerts, resulted in an extremely good budburst with nice even growth across all varieties. Above average early/mid-summer temperatures with generally settled weather ensured an excellent flowering and fruit set, with January the warmest in over 60 years of statistical records. This led to one of our earliest harvests, however the month also produced another climatic record with by far the highest rainfall recorded for February, necessitating additional canopy management, under vine weeding and inter row mowing. Low cropping with good open canopies allowed sunlight and wind penetration to do their job, which certainly won the day in a testing, but rewarding vintage.

Hand picked and chilled overnight prior to hand sorting. 75% destemmed and 25% whole bunches included. Fermented in small stainless open top fermenters with 100% indigenous yeasts over a period of 3 weeks prior to pressing into French oak barrels for eighteen months (30% new).

Tasting Note:

Bright crimson in colour with a nose of perfumed, bright florals of rose and violets with crunchy red berry fruit. Brambly, dried herb notes add a layer of complexity. On the palate: Succulent and supple with alluring red cherry, brown spices and silky fine boned tannins. Drink now or age for 10+ years.

The Facts:

Wine	Pinot Noir Marlborough
Vintage	2018
Style	Red Wine
Grape Variety	100% Pinot Noir
Alcohol Content	13%
Closure	Screw Cap
Bottle Size	750ml

What the critics say:

94 Points - Nick Stock for JamesSuckling.com:

"Attractive, earthy and spicy aromas are wound seamlessly into bright, red and darker cherries. This is complex and fragrant with dialed-in oak. The palate has impressively red-cherry flavours with succulent acidity and smooth, fluid tannins. Composed finish. Drink or hold".

93 points - Tom Cannavan’s Wine-pages.com

“Made with wild yeasts again, with 18 months in French oak barrels, 35% new and another nicely pale Pinot. So much sweet truffle, coffee and forest floor here, but a depth of ripe fruit too as another layer. That richness, that suggestion of mocha, is there on the palate, but the keen raspberry edge of the fruit and acidity sharpens everything up. This has great fruit but an unwavering clarity too, and lots of savoury orange and grapefruit in the mix for a formidable example of Marlborough Pinot at, or near, it's best”.

Tasted Jan 2021