Villa Maria - New Zealand’s Most Awarded Winery comes to Cottesloe!
Villa Maria Winery has dominated NZ Wine Shows over the last 10 years and comfortably wear the title of New Zealand’s most-awarded winery. They now have vineyards across NZ in Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough and produce some of the top Single Vineyard wines in the country.
Villa Maria at every price point - Bob Campbell MW
Villa Maria has at least one wine in each of seven out of the 11 Top Value Wines categories. Some years ago I said to George Fistonich, the then owner of Villa Maria:
“Villa Maria has a formidable record of medals and trophies at wine shows. How do you react to the criticism that you are a ‘pot hunter’ who makes wines to win medals?”.
Sir George replied:
“We work very hard to make the very best wines we can at every price level.
Good wines just happen to win medals.”
- Bob Campbell MW, Oct 17, 2023
Join the Auckland Senior Winemaker, Dave Roper for either the masterclass and/or dinner, and taste 14 highly scored and reviewed Villa Maria Wines.
Monday February 17th
Hosted by Auckland Senior Winemaker, Dave Roper.
Masterclass: 5:30-7pm, 13 Wines with nibbles, $85
Dinner: 7:30pm, 13 Wines with 4 Courses, $165
Be the first to experience the new releases, purchase your tickets via the buttons below.
The Host, Senior Winemaker - Dave Roper
Dave began his career in wine at Villa Maria in 2002 as a cellar hand. His flair for winemaking was apparent from the outset and having developed his skill and knowledge across all of Villa Maria’s wines, he was promoted to Senior Auckland Winemaker in 2015. During his career he has worked vintages in Oregon and Washington State and has judged at various wine shows and competitions in New Zealand over the last 10 years. Dave believes winemaking requires a strong appreciation of art, plus an understanding of science.
The Wine List and Menu
1st Course
Single Vineyard Taylor’s Pass Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Our Price $34
Sliced green apples, lime peel and green mangoes on the nose of this wonderfully cool white. Crisp, medium-bodied and nicely tense with mineral nuances. Drink now.
92 Points James Suckling (December 2024)
Single Vineyard Woven Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Our Price $50
Ripe, rich sauvignon blanc with tropical fruit and tree fruit flavours balanced by refreshing acidity. The wine has appealing intensity and a crisp, dry finish with impressive underlying power. It could surprise with a few years bottle age.
95 Points Bob Campbell, The Real Review (August 2024)
Tempura eggplant, caramelised miso, lemon
2nd Course
Reserve Chardonnay 2020, Our Price $44
Champion Wine of Show, Hawkes Bay Wine Awards 2020
Rich, ripe and creamy chardonnay peach, nectarine fruit flavours plus nutty barrel-fermentation characters and a suggestion of struck-flint. A moderately intense and sophisticated style from a top vintage.
95 Points Bob Campbell, The Real Review (February 2022)
Single Vineyard McDiarmid Hill Chardonnay 2022, Our Price $54
This is a full-bodied, toasty chardonnay that shows apricots, pie crust, lemon curd, vanilla and white chocolate on the nose. Full-bodied, bold and flavorful, yet with flinty tension on the bold and toasty finish. Sustainable. Drink or hold.
93 Points James Suckling (September 2023)
Single Vineyard McDiarmid Hill Chardonnay 2020, Our Price $52
Rich, concentrated and quite luscious chardonnay with golden queen peach, tree fruits, lime, toasted nut and spicy oak flavours. Typical Mendoza clone intensity and a generous oak influence.
95 Points Bob Campbell, The Real Review (September 2021)
Single Vineyard Keltern Chardonnay 2022, Our Price $70
Gorgeously seductive and enticing… white flesh stone fruit, nougat, hazelnut, brioche and lemon peel nuances on the nose. The palate exhibits outstanding concentration and focus, wonderfully complemented by plush texture and perfectly pitched acidity. Seamless and symphonic with an impressively long, gratifying finish.
97 Points, Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
Pancetta wrapped scallops, kaffir lime
3rd Course
Reserve Pinot Noir 2020, Our Price $44
A good example of Marlborough pinot noir, with appealing fruit sweetness and a silken texture. A supple wine with bright cherry, berry, plum, coffee, red rose and spicy oak flavours. Accessible now but no rush.
95 Points Bob Campbell, The Real Review (December 2021)
Single Vineyard Seddon Pinot Noir 2021, Our Price $65
A little reductive at first, then a sweet rush of tamarillo, plum, red berries, spice, bay leaf and milk chocolate. The palate is a bright and sappy with a definite Campari-like edge to the succulent red fruits. Quite a light-framed, taut style, with acidity just the right side of jangly, but enough fruit cover to keep everything in balance. Nicely made, with well-integrated oak. From a single vineyard site on the southern bank of the Awatere river, planted in 1998.
94 Points Emma Jenkins MW, Decanter (August 2024)
Single Vineyard Attorney Pinot Noir 2019, Our Price $110
Vibrant and slightly edgy pinot noir with dark cherry, plum, savoury, spice and a suggestion of floral and violet character. An elegant, supple and obviously youthful wine with high-energy and obvious cellaring potential, although a little closed at this early stage.
95 Points Bob Campbell, The Real Review (January 2022)
Single Vineyard Attorney Pinot Noir 2021, Our Price $110
Deliciously easy to drink with power and fruit purity making it hard to resist a second glass—this wine certainly has the X Factor. Cherry, vanilla, and a hint of spice add to the attraction
95 Points Bob Campbell, The Real Review (August 2024)
Duck rillette croquettes, salsa verde
4th Course
Ngakirikiri Cabernet Sauvignon, Gimblett Gravels 2020, Our Price $167
This is flatteringly classy and exquisitely composed… the immensely concentrated palate is both robust and silky, packed with fruit intensity and stylish complexity. Layers of chalky tannins provide classic structure to this graceful, breathtaking red.
99 Points, Sam Kim Wine Orbit
Ngakirikiri Cabernet Sauvignon, Gimblett Gravels 2019, Our Price $167
Villa Maria’s icon wine, produced only in exceptional vintages. Always Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant, the 2019 also has 5% Merlot, and is aged for 20 months in barrel, 65% new. Ngakirikiri in Māori refers to the unique soils of the Gimblett Gravels, whose diurnal temperature range, low-yielding vines and long growing season give ageworthy, ripe, aromatic reds. Christine Marsiglio MW: The nose is brooding, intense and aromatic – a difficult feat to achieve. Screams Cabernet, yet it’s both elegant and powerful. Top stuff. Freddy Bulmer: Ample intensity on the nose, the palate spicy and full with sundried tomato, basil, cassis and Morello cherry. Pepper spice on the finish, with notes of iron. Huge potential. Roger Jones: Dark, brooding, complex fruit with cedar, violet, refined mocha and meat juices. Seamless, with hints of mint and tomato stalk.
97 Points Decanter Panel Tasting, (June 2023)
Ngakirikiri Cabernet Sauvignon, Gimblett Gravels 2018, Our Price $167
Dark purple hues with an opaque appearance leading to aromas of concentration, power and finesse. Immediately captivating with scents of dark berries and brooding complexity. Iron and blackberry, crushed violets and spicy skinned plums. Toasty barrel scents suggest clove and baked vanilla pod, smoke and sweet wood moments. Compact, taut and delicious on the palate with flavours of dark berries and barrel spices, violets, stony soils and a savoury spice and tobacco edge. There’s a satin polish to the tannins, an abundance of acidity and additional flavours of bell-pepper and toasty baked goods. Lengthy, complex and very appealing. A wine that showcases everything that is exciting about Hawkes Bay.
97 Points Cameron Douglas MS, Decanter (October 2021)