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Villa Maria Private Bin 2011 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
 Spring
is here, and when I think of spring, I think of vibrant Sauvignon
Blanc and fresh fish, possibly because I am not one of those who
will stand in the rain for hours waiting for a bite, but would
prefer to be out on a boat on a sunny day and spring usually
provides the first chance to do this for several months. Then
Sauvignon Blanc goes so well with the fish I might catch.
The Sauvignon Blanc I have selected today is Villa Maria's 2011
Private Bin example, from that world renowned Sauvignon Blanc region
of Marlborough. Keeping a regional feel, the grapes have been
sourced from vineyards in both the Wairau and Awatere valleys,
spanning a range of different meso-climates. All these vineyards had
careful attention paid to the vine health and cropping levels to
give the vines the best chance to optimise the season and to develop
strong, clean flavours.
In Marlborough, the 2011 growing season was warmer than average,
with regular rain until the end of February. This led to excellent
conditions for flavour development. The season also had a long, dry
and cool finish in autumn, meaning that the fruit was in excellent
condition when harvested.
The fruit for this wine was harvested at varying levels of ripeness
over five weeks in autumn to give the winemaker an array of flavours
and blending options. At the vineyard, the fruit was crushed,
pressed and settled for 48 hours before removing the press solids
for fermentation. Both neutral and aromatic yeast strains were used
for the ferment to aid intensity and site reflection. After a short
period of resting on yeast lees post fermentation, the wine was
filtered and bottled.
I found the 2011 Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc to have
wonderful, vibrant aromas of gooseberry, citrus and melon, with a
hint of passionfruit and herbs. On the palate this vibrant wine has
intense flavours of gooseberry and fresh citrus with notes of fresh
herbs and nettle. It is an inviting palate with a crisp clean
finish, and will go particularly well with grilled fish or chicken.
It is drinking well now, and I would also recommend it with pasta
Marinara.
It is also worth mentioning that Sir George Fistonich, Owner and
Managing Director of Villa Maria Estate, has just received the
International Wine Challenge's highest honour at the glittering
awards dinner where he accepted the esteemed Lifetime Achievement
Award. Sir George joins an exclusive group of high profile figures
from the wine world who have previously received this award, most
recently including Peter Lehmann, Peter Lehmann Wines (2009) and
Miguel Torres, Bodegas Torres (2010).
At the dinner, Sir George commented, "I am incredibly honoured to
accept this award. It is very humbling to be recognised by the wine
industry for Villa Maria's achievements. We've worked hard promoting
our premium New Zealand wines to the world so it's a great feeling
to be among such an elite group of wine industry icons. I founded
Villa Maria Estate nearly fifty years ago and feel very lucky to be
part of an exciting and stimulating industry. It is the effort and
dedication of the fantastic teams I have worked with, both past and
present, that make Villa Maria and the wines that we produce the
success that they are and I would like to thank every one of them
for their commitment and passion."
The International Wine Challenge Awards are the world's most
prestigious and influential wine awards. The 2011 ceremony took
place at The Hilton, Park Lane. The judging panel, chaired by Tim
Atkin MW, Oz Clarke, Charles Metcalfe, Sam Harrop MW & Derek Smedley
MW, chose to honour Sir George Fistonich with this accolade, which
is bestowed annually on one senior industry leader for significant
contributions to the wine industry internationally.
Reviewed by Stephen Clark (12/9/2011)
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