Tim McKirdy of VinePair authors a piece titled: Making the Case for Age-Worthy Sauvignon Blanc. Yes, Sauvignon Blanc.  In his exploration of Sauvignon Blanc that can age, McKirdy focuses on one Loire producer and one New Zealand producer. Unsurprisingly (to us), Dog Point Vineyards is the New Zealand producer, with a focus on their utterly distinctive Section 94.

A few choice lines:

1. “When we commenced with the Dog Point label, one of our prime objectives was to make wines that would age respectfully,” winemaker and co-founder Ivan Sutherland writes in a recent email exchange.
2. Closely controlled cropping and canopy management allow Dog Point to achieve precise grape ripeness before 100 percent hand-harvesting — something that bucks the regional mechanized trend.
3. “Aging certainly softens the wine, with less lifted aromatics and toned-down acidity,” Sutherland says. “In desirable climatic years, with controlled cropping, the wines develop a nice dried-herb, slightly honeysuckle character, with a softer, rounded palate.”

You can read the full article here.

“An aromatic version, with intriguing beeswax, honeysuckle, lanolin and marmalade notes that give way to a smooth, lush core of apricot and lime zest flavors. Mouthwateringly smooth and juicy, showing appealing complexity.”

A great video which gives some of the insight into what makes Dog Point such a special winery. It’s all told in a fairly laid back way, but don’t be fooled. The thought behind everything they have done over the last 15 years is extraordinary detailed and rigorous.

The key tenants of great vineyard sites, old vines, low yields, hand-picking, and biological concern all come through on the video. It’s surprising how outside the norm the Dog Point wines sit, but this video shows a little bit of the how and why.

“Impressive red-cherry aromas precede great depth and structured, handy tannins that pull real flavors out of the wine and coat the palate. This holds fresh and rich darker cherries and red plums long into the finish. Regal pinot with soul and swagger.”

“The 2015 Chardonnay is a smoky, toasty, medium to full-bodied effort marked by a terrific acid line. That grapefruit note provides the backbone over which riper notions of white peach, toasted hazelnut and pineapple rest. Zesty and refreshing, with a long, mouthwatering finish, this is a compelling example of Marlborough Chardonnay.”

Revered wine critic Jancis Robinson recounts a recent, and unexpected, tasting experience in a recent newsletter. Though she had grand plans on treating her team to Coche-Dury Meursault 2010, she felt they were a bit lackluster and had a similar experience with a Bourgogne Blanc 2011 from the same, highly-lauded producer. These are stunning wines and we are also surprised by her experience!

Comparing the two, she said, “It was certainly more exciting than the 2010 village wine, and displayed some of the tension for which Coche wines have become famous, but when I also poured some Dog Point Chardonnay 2016 left over from a few nights previously we agreed it was the more exciting wine.” She continued, “And, with its light reduction/struck match whiff, it was very similar in some respects to how many of us remember the Coche-Dury wines of the first decade of this century. Except of course for the price.” She goes on to elaborate on the tasting notes of the Dog Point wine in detail, adding that Dog Point is one of the most respected and top rated producers in New Zealand. It is an extremely interesting column, and we encourage you to read the entire PDF enclosed.

Jancis Robinson’s wine of the week