Taylors Pass Sauvignon Blanc 2021 'Icon Series'
For me, Villa Maria make some of the finest wines in New Zealand, particularly when you climb up the ladder to the top of their range, in this case their icon series which showcases the very best in terroirs and winemaking in the region. This is a Sauvignon Blanc of real opulence and grace, without ever taking on those grassier, overwhelmingly herbaceous notes that cheaper offerings from the region demonstrate.
The grapes are grown in a single vineyard plot in the Marlborough area, a region famous for Sauvignon Blanc, and it is in that under-the-radar angle that this wine delivers oodles of vinous joy for its price tag (a similar wine from Cloudy Bay costs THREE times as much!).
On the nose is a kaleidoscope of green pea, parmesan, passionfruit, gooseberry, blackcurrant leaf and gentle flint smoke. The fruit is ripe and juicy on the palate and it is profoundly textured for a Sauvignon Blanc with real fleshiness and body, allied to acidic zing on the finish.
This is a luxury ‘fridge wine’ in our house, and it works perfectly with Risi e Bisi risotto, generous salads, carbonara, fresh oysters, or a tub of sour cream and chive Pringles (try it!).
For me, Villa Maria make some of the finest wines in New Zealand, particularly when you climb up the ladder to the top of their range, in this case their icon series which showcases the very best in terroirs and winemaking in the region. This is a Sauvignon Blanc of real opulence and grace, without ever taking on those grassier, overwhelmingly herbaceous notes that cheaper offerings from the region demonstrate.
The grapes are grown in a single vineyard plot in the Marlborough area, a region famous for Sauvignon Blanc, and it is in that under-the-radar angle that this wine delivers oodles of vinous joy for its price tag (a similar wine from Cloudy Bay costs THREE times as much!).
On the nose is a kaleidoscope of green pea, parmesan, passionfruit, gooseberry, blackcurrant leaf and gentle flint smoke. The fruit is ripe and juicy on the palate and it is profoundly textured for a Sauvignon Blanc with real fleshiness and body, allied to acidic zing on the finish.
This is a luxury ‘fridge wine’ in our house, and it works perfectly with Risi e Bisi risotto, generous salads, carbonara, fresh oysters, or a tub of sour cream and chive Pringles (try it!).