Vintus

In a major feature on the 2009 New Zealand Pinot Noir vintage, Bob Campbell MW of Decanter magazine gives the ’09 Dog Point Pinot Noir 5 out of 5 stars, proclaiming it one of the very best pinots to come out of Marlborough.

2009 was an exceptional vintage for Pinot Noir all across New Zealand. As Campbell puts it, “winemakers in each of the country’s five main pinot regions are incontinent with joy about their 2009s. Some even claim to have made their best Pinot Noir ever.” The write-up on Dog Point reads as follows:

“It seemed inevitable that a partnership between Cloudy Bay’s ex-winemaker and viticulturist would make cracking wine. This is one of Dog Point’s best Pinot Noirs yet. It’s a seriously good wine with excellent cellaring potential.”

Read the full article here (subscription required).

The  Quarterly Review of Wines has just published a two-page feature on Dog Point in its Summer issue. Written by Rosemary George MW, the article describes the exciting new wine project started by ex Cloudy Bay chief winemaker and viticulturist, James Healy and Ivan Sutherland.

Here are a few excerpts from the article:

“When James and Ivan decided to work together, they laid down the ground rules, agreeing that they would do away with the high tech approach with which they had become familiar at Cloudy Bay. Their winery would be very “hands on.” Also they would hand-pick everything, which is pretty unusual for Marlborough. They are adamant that it enhances quality. Margaret Sutherland suggested the difference between a bruised windfall apple and the apple picked carefully from the tree, which has a much better flavor. And they elected to concentrate on the three varietals that suit Marlborough best – namely Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.”

“They make two qualities of Sauvignon. The simplest has a gentle pressing, with no lees contact, and entails a small percentage fermented with natural yeast. Section 94, which was named when the valley was carved up by the early settlers, is barrel-fermented, using old barrels, and spends 18 months on the lees. James explaiend that the method is very different from that used for Te Koko at Cloudy Bay. The pressing is very gentle and the management of the oxidative conditions with no SO2 is quite tricky. The aim is to enhance the minerality of the wine.”

“Cloudy Bay was the nursery for two talented winemakers, who are now creating their own labels, from grapes provided by one of the country’s most skilled viticulturists and grape growers.”