Occasionally I taste a wine that takes me totally by surprise. Coming from celebrated Marlborough producer Dog Point, I was expecting this Chardonnay to be good. But not anywhere near this good.
Dog Point Chardonnay 2008 Marlborough, New Zealand
14.5% alcohol. Complex, beguiling, minerally, nutty, flinty nose with some richness but also lovely freshness. Concentrated, powerful palate with lovely acidity. Fresh and mineral with citrus and spice notes, with incredible intensity. A thrilling expression of Chardonnay. One of the world’s greats. 95/100 (£18.50 The Wine Society)
14.5%? Chard. with the alcohol of Chateauneuf-d-P.? Do you drink it with bbq steak?
Small world Jamie. I had the very same wine on Friday evening back here in NZ and thought it was terrific as well.
Great to hear Jamie. Their Sauvignon blanc-wines are also most impressive, oaked or not!
Best
Niklas
Have you tried Ataraxia Jamie?
Not tried Ataraxia.
Should add that there’s a bit of complex reduction on the dog point that’s just lovely. It’s cork-sealed, which is unusual for a Kiwi wine.
Same with the oaked Sauvignon blanc, Section 94. The standard SB-bottling is screwcap though.
Best,
Niklas
I found four bottles of this as a bin-end at Berry Brothers, for £16 each. We drank one last night, and it was amazingly good.