Dog Point - Pinot Noir 2014 | Monsieur Touton Selection

Vineyard

Dog Point has a total of 28 acres planted to Pinot Noir, consisting of 6 different vineyard blocks on clay loam soils on gentle, closely planted hill slopes. Vines are carefully managed to produce evenly ripe fruit and cropped at an average of 5 tonnes/ha (35hl/ ha). The wine is produced from 6 different clones (60% Dijon clones B777, B667 and B115, 25% Pommard – Clone 5, 10% Abel and 5% AM10/5).

Estate

Almost since its inception, Dog Point's Sauvignon Blanc has been named by major critics as New Zealand's top Sauvignon. Dog Point is the result of a collaboration between two Cloudy Bay alumni, enologist James Healy and founding viticulturalist Ivan Sutherland. Both left Cloudy Bay at the end of 2003, although they have produced their own wines from the 2002 vintage forward.

Vinification

The fruit for Dog Point Pinot Noir is handharvested and hand-sorted, then transferred to small, open-topped fermentation tanks (without pumping), for a cold soak and fermentation with native yeasts. A small proportion of whole bunch (stems) is included in each tank. Extraction is achieved by manually punching down the cap twice daily. The wine is then transferred to French oak barrels (Francois Freres, 50% new), for 18 months aging on lees. It is bottled without fining or filtration.

Wine

Dog Point Vineyard wines are hand-crafted from estate fruit grown on some of the oldest vines and best sites in Marlborough, some plantings dating back to the 1970s. Abundant sunshine, low rainfall and cool autumn nights characterize the long growing season, enabling the slow evolution of a rich array of vibrant fruit flavors.

New Zealand Marlborough