2021 Dog Point Section 94 Sauvignon Blanc Organic, Marlborough

Hand harvested, whole-bunch pressed and aged for 18 months in seasoned French oak. This is a wine that consistently delivers, while ageing at a glacial rate, almost beyond belief. At five years, this is showing Meyer lemon, cantaloupe and Alphonse mango skin. Mock orange blossoms, honeysuckle and struck sandstone flint. The palate curls into creamy candlenut and oatmeal, then circles back to its citrus and tropical fruit core. It's languid and slightly oily, persistent and long. A wine for rewiring your brain and taste buds on what great sauvignon can do.

96 point Special Value  Shanteh Wale, Halliday Wine Companion

This is a beautiful and complex wine with sliced apples, lemons, bread dough and salted pie crust. Some grass. Always subtle and complex yet shows intensity. Medium body. Lovely acid balance and an excellent finish. White pepper. Dry. Always excellent. Drink now. Screw cap.

95 points jamessuckling.com

From one of Marlborough’s oldest organically farmed parcels in the Wairau Valley, Section 94 is Dog Point’s cult reinterpretation of Sauvignon Blanc. Founded by Ivan Sutherland and James Healy, pioneers of the region’s modern wine movement, the estate focuses on vine age, organic farming and low intervention winemaking. This wine is wild fermented in old French oak and aged on lees, building a layered, savoury expression that stands worlds apart from overtly aromatic Marlborough styles.

A pale lemon gold glows softly in the glass. Aromas unfold with preserved lemon, grapefruit pith and white nectarine intertwined with struck flint, almond skin, smoky reduction and subtle herbal complexity. There is an immediate sense of depth and quiet tension, inviting time and attention.

The palate is dry, textural and commanding, delivering citrus and stone fruit flavours wrapped around vibrant acidity and a fine phenolic grip. Notes of lanolin, toast, saline minerality and soft spice build through the mid palate, leading to a long, resonant finish that feels both powerful and precise. This organic Sauvignon Blanc is built for serious cellaring, evolving beautifully over ten to fifteen years into honeyed, nutty and deeply savoury territory.

Charred octopus with lemon and oregano, miso glazed eggplant straight from the grill, or salt cod brandade spread generously across warm sourdough. A late evening spin of Portishead Dummy or something hypnotic from Massive Attack, the wine pulling the room into a slower, more atmospheric rhythm.