Dog Point

The ’25 vintage Sauvignon is a lasting reminder of the legacy of Dog Point co-founder and chief winemaker, James Healy, who died in February this year. His last vintage was a cracker quality-wise and the man, who was instrumental in the ground-breaking Cloudy Bay Sauvignons of the 90s, produced a gently complexed and intensely fruited style built on citrus, lime-peel aromas, baked apple, spice and spring blossom florals. This is the first time that this Sauvignon Blanc has been made with 100% wild yeasts, something that is set to continue. A flinty, slate complexity comes into view on the palate, tensile and tangy, fleshy through the middle, holding citrus and apple at its core with a dusting of fresh cut herbs, dill and green tea. As dry, crisp and as fresh as they come, delightfully so. Thank you, James!

Still very young, this could use another year in the bottle before it's cracked open. If drinking now, leave time for aeration in the glass or decanter for the struck match reductive notes to blow off and be replaced by white grapefruit, lime, passion fruit and dried herbs. Its complexity really lies in the palate, which is poised with lovely texture, crystalline acidity and a long, tangy citrus fruit finish.