Villa Maria Reserve Pinot Noir 2019
Expressive, rich and generous in the mouth, yet elegant and refined - complex, layered and balanced, with fine, silky tannins and concentrated fruit.
| Winemaker | Nick Picone |
|---|---|
| Organic | No |
| SKU | 300289 |
| ABV | 12.50% |
Villa Maria's Reserve Pinot Noir is elegant, seductive and refined - a benchmark Marlborough Pinot.
Grapes for this vintage were almost entirely grown in the Awatere Valley (principally the Ballochdale Vineyard), with the balance from the Southern Valleys. Fruit was hand-picked to maximise the quality, and the wines was aged for 14 months in a mixture of new and seasoned French barriques.
Under owner Sir George Fistonich, Villa Maria has grown from a one-man band to an icon of the New Zealand wine industry over fifty years. George started growing vines at the tender age of 21 and made his first wine back in 1962 under the name Villa Maria, with grapes he harvested from a five acre block he leased from his father in Mangere, Auckland. George, supported by his wife, Gail, continued to make wine himself in the 1960s, before expanding in the 1970s. Today, Villa Maria employs more than 250 permanent staff, grows 28 different grape varieties, and exports wine to over 60 countries worldwide.
IWC Bronze & 90 points - Rebecca Gibb MW (Vinous) Villa turns up the dial on its reserve wines, bringing an extra element of seriousness and structure rather than merely fruity flesh. This is a rich Pinot offering good concentration of brooding plummy fruit, earthiness and well-integrated oak (35% new). Focused with fine acidity and an appealing coating of chocolaty tannins on the medium-length finish. While this can be approached now, it will provide satisfying drinking over the next 3–6 years.
5 STARS & SUPER CLASSIC - Michael Cooper Buyer's Guide to NZ Wines
SILVER MEDAL - Marlborough Wine Show 2018
Sensual nose of wild red berries and dark cherries, with subtle hints of spicy clove. Expressive, rich and generous in the mouth, yet elegant and refined - complex, layered and balanced, with fine, silky tannins and concentrated fruit characters.