Dog Point 2017 Section 94 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough)

This single-vineyard Sauvignon is fermented in old French oak. Made in a style similar to many modern Kiwi Chardonnays, seemingly with reductive handling and high solids, aromas of struck match, onions and buttered popcorn dominate, with a lick of oak at the back. There's little varietal or terroir expression here. There's searing acidity and angular oak on the palate that does soften as it warms in the glass, and some texture and fruit weight show up to the party, but overall this is a style that feels overworked and dissonant. Christina Pickard