Everyone loves the wines of Villa Maria. Its so-called Private Bin range is hugely reliable and, heaven knows, I’ve drunk enough of it in my time. But there’s much more to VM than its entry level vino. Head further up the scale and you will find some corkers in the Cellar Selection, Platinum Selection, Reserve and Single Vineyard ranges, exquisitely made in tiny quantities. Little wonder that Villa Maria is New Zealand’s most awarded winery and that founder/owner George Fistonich was knighted for his efforts.
Thanks to Mark Cronshaw of Mr Wheeler, we’ve some top examples here which — so Mark assures me — are priced as keenly as you will find anywhere else.
The 2018 Villa Maria Cellar Selection Albariño (1) is light, clean, fresh and rather unassuming. That’s not to say it hasn’t got character — it has, with its hints of cream, peach, citrus and a whisper of honey — it’s just that it doesn’t shout about itself. Made from 100 per cent Albariño, that deeply trendy grape famed for its fresh and zesty Rías Baixas wines from Spain, it comes from Gisborne in the north east of New Zealand’s North Island. £11.50 down from £15.
The 2017 Villa Maria Reserve Wairau Valley Sauvignon Blanc (2), by contrast, has plenty to say, with its exuberant aromas of cut grass, nettles and the inevitable cat’s pee. If classic, beautifully made Marlborough Savvy Blanc is your thing, you’ll love this. It has plenty of tropical fruit on the palate for sure, but the truth is that it’s actually rather restrained compared with some of the blousy, over the top Kiwi offerings one sees these days and is quite the class act.
£12 down from £16.50.
The 2016 Villa Maria Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Chardonnay (3) is right up my alley and, I trust, will be up yours too, being truly stylish.
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