November marks the collective release of one of the most stylistically and regional diverse portfolios of fine wine from New Zealand – Villa Maria’s Single Vineyard and Icon collection.
The complete range is made up of 12 wines that take you on a journey through several of New Zealand’s wine regions, and three of these sought-after wines are now available in Australia for the first time. Spanning the North and South Islands, the wines represent exceptional fruit from Marlborough and Hawkes Bay, with a sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon blend comprising the new releases now available here.
These wines have been crafted with love and meticulous attention to detail surrounding every aspect of viticulture through to the winemaking.
The Villa Maria Single Vineyard Keltern Hawkes Bay Chardonnay and Villa Maria Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc are both from the 2020 vintage. The Taylors Pass vineyard in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley is home to varying soil types, gravels and ripening conditions, allowing the team to choose the best possible fruit.
The result is a sauvignon blanc that is bright, lifted, concentrated and chalky, which chief winemaker Nick Picone says puts the emphasis on flavour and profile intensity, as well as palate texture.
The Villa Maria Taylors Pass Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is an excellent match for seafood.
The Keltern vineyard in Hawkes Bay is synonymous with producing top chardonnay and this new release is flinty, complex and tightly woven. “The Villa Maria Single Vineyard Keltern Chardonnay has earned its place among the world’s finest chardonnays for almost 20 years, and the 2020 is an absolute stunner,” Nick says.
For the first time in four years, the Villa Maria Icon Ngakirikiri (naaa-kere-kere) from Gimblett Gravels has been released. Made only in the very best years, this 2018 blend combines 90 per cent cabernet, eight per cent merlot and two per cent malbec.
This is the first Ngakirikiri release in four years and now available in Australia for the first time.
Named after the Maori word for “gravels”, this exquisite wine scored 96 points from James Halliday and was part of Andrew Caillard MW’s Annual Vintage Selection of top wines from the region. “These wines have been crafted with love and meticulous attention to detail surrounding every aspect of viticulture through to the winemaking,” Nick says. “Like all good fine wine should, these wines will elevate any food on any occasion.” Nick suggests sharing them this Christmas, or gifting them to the serious collector.
Villa Maria was established in Auckland in 1961, and to mark their coming 60th vintage, the winery is set to add a limited-release Icon wine to their fine wine portfolio early next year.
The wines
2018 Villa Maria Ngakirikiri, RRP $150
2020 Villa Maria Single Vineyard Keltern Chardonnay, RRP $85
2020 Villa Maria Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Sauvignon Blanc, RRP $35
