A bright perfumed, supple expression of Marlborough pinot noir from clay hill slopes. The fruit is supported by bright florals of rose and violets with crunchy red berry fruit and dried herb notes. The palate is succulent with alluring red cherry, brown spices and silky fine boned tannins. This wine has all the makings of a long lived Marlborough Pinot Noir.

Appearance: Deep ruby.

Nose: Dark and brooding aromas of doris plum, baking spices and brambles, with dried herbal notes and musky florals of old fashioned roses.

Taste: Bold, dark fruits lead on the palate, with an energy and drive that offers great enjoyment. The acidity brings freshness and the supple, fine-grained tannins that build show fine pedigree from a great year for Marlborough Pinot Noir. This powerful and concentrated expression is bound to reward further cellaring. It should prove to be long lived.

Food Pairings: It Matches perfectly with duck, red meats (particularly venison and lamb), and mushroom dishes.

Winemaking: Hand picked and chilled overnight prior to handsorting. 70% destemmed and 30% 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).

Soil: Clay loams.

Awards:

95 points - Bob Campbell, The Real Review, Sept 2023, NZ
Intense, appealing pinot noir with subtle floral aromas together with concentrated red berry, dark chocolate, liquorice, wood smoke and spicy oak flavours. Powerful wine with obvious cellaring potential.

95 points - Shanteh Wale, Wine Pilot, Nov 2023, Australia
It’s equally alluring and coquettish with its underlying heady spices and wafts of wild red and black fruit. Oak supports the density of fruit and underpins its ability to transform in the glass. Tannins are tightly laced with propulsive acidity and carry. Drinking well now but in true Dog Point style, they have eyes on the long game and this will cellar beautifully.

94 points - Cameron Douglas MS, Oct 2023, NZ
Ripe, fruity, varietal and complex bouquet with aromas of red cherry and raspberry flesh, some red licorice and vanilla, layers of woodsmoke and plum then a clay stone mineral quality. Dry and delicious with salivating textures and flavours, fresh red fruits and barrel spice highlights and a lengthy finish with complexity and charm.

94 points - Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast, Jan 2024, USA
Lovely layers of lucid aromas are on show from first sniff: black cherry and red berry cordial, cocktail bitters-like herbs and spices and a dark chocolate nuance. There’s lovely concentration and harmony here.

94 points - MaryAnn Worobiec, Wine Spectator, July 2024, USA
Lush and juicy, with notes of cherry preserves, blood orange and fresh raspberry. Accents of lavender and violet linger in the background, with hints of clove, malty Assam black tea and tomato leaf on the finish.

5 Stars - Michael Cooper, Oct 2023, NZ
The 2021 vintage is one of the most impressive yet. Deep ruby, it has a highly fragrant, inviting bouquet. Mouth Filling, savoury and supple, it has rich, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, refined tannins, and lovely depth and harmony. Already delicious, it’s a drink-now or cellaring proposition. Certified organic.

93 points - James Suckling, Nov 2023
Strawberries, cranberries and lavender with orange zest, sweet squash and a hint of tomato leaf. Medium-bodied with refreshing acidity and velvety tannins. Zesty and flavoursome on the palate. Good harmony. From organically grown grapes.

About the Producer: The name Dog Point dates back to the earliest European settlement of Marlborough and the introduction of sheep to the district. These were the days where, due to a lack of fences, boundary riders used boundary keeping dogs to protect the local flocks of sheep. Shepherd’s dogs sometimes became lost or wandered off, eventually breeding to form a marauding pack that attacked the same flocks they were meant to be protecting. Over time the settlers were able to remove these wild dogs and the area was named Dog Point. There is now a friendly “pack of dogs” that greet guests at the vineyard.