Dog Point

The Mendoza clone of Chardonnay is a dominant force in the New Zealand wine scene: highly individual, full of flavour and ever ready with a saline, sea spray quality that gets the lips smacking. Dog Point does it better than many, capturing those qualities beautifully. Light gold hues. Flint, struck match, peach, nectarine, melon, citrus and citrus blossom aromas. A full, rich expression with French oak (10% new) playing an influence with its smoky toastiness, nougat nutty notes, and a second malolactic fermentation allowing the textural warmth of the wine to shine. A tightly coiled palate brings stone fruits, citrus, cardamom, bergamot and the kind of grippy tartness you get from sucking on grapefruit pith. All up, it’s one complex young Chardonnay with a long life ahead.

This vintage of Dog Point's richly hued Chard pushes the reductive boundaries with intense flint, buttered toast and nut aromas at the fore. The melon and lemon fruit characters are tucked well into the background. There's lovely textural richness and a razor's edge of acidity, but ultimately, winemaking wins over variety and site expression. Some will love this style; others will find it more style over substance.