Villa Maria 2015 Reserve Wairau Valley Sauvignon Blanc, $35
This zesty, fruity, herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc is the quintessential expression of Marlborough’s favourite white, and the judges also deemed it to be so when they awarded it the Sauvignon Blanc trophy at New Zealand’s Royal Easter Show earlier this year.
Since it first entered the show in 1963, Villa Maria has cemented a reputation as the most awarded winery in the show, New Zealand’s oldest national wine competition.
This year it took out Champion wine of the show with its Villa Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2014. Although the Chardonnay isn’t available in Australia, you can tuck into this crisp and fleshy Sav Blanc with its glorious passionfruit and tropical fruit aromas.
Winemaker Nick Picone was named NZ Winemaker of the Year at the same show, so you can understand why the Villa Maria folk are a tad excited.
Picone says they are particularly proud of securing the coveted Sauvignon Blanc trophy, given the “significance of the category, the high quality of the 2015 vintage in Marlborough and the fact this is the most competitive class in New Zealand wine shows”.
Now let’s see the champion Chardonnay in Oz, can we? Please!
