Winemaker Notes
Upon pouring, this deep purple colored wine gradually yields notably intense and pure aromatics of cassis, black plum and anise, with ground coffee bean, graphite, fragrant thyme and cedar nuances also vying for attention. Layers of concentrated flavors emerge and flow beautifully across the palate from start to finish, with optimally ripe fruit, fine-grained tannins and supportive oak enhancing overall texture and richness at each point along the way. This full-bodied wine will benefit and gain additional complexity from careful cellaring over the next 15-20 years.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has a powerful nose of blackcurrants, blackberry leaves, pencil lead, crushed gravel, dried herbs, cedar and cloves. Fantastic structure and precision, with firm, finely-knit tannins. Well-framed. Classy and long finish. 96% cabernet sauvignon and 4% merlot.
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Vinous
The 2020 Ngakirikiri is a perfumed, deep purple wine. It is richly fruited with its dark, ripe black fruits, Cabernet-induced herbal characters, black olives and licorice. Sweet and sumptuous, this is dense and impressive with abundant, ripe tannins. It's nowhere near ready to drink and is the Kiwi equivalent of a young Haut-Medoc.
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Wine Enthusiast
From the famed Gimblett Gravels of Hawke's Bay, this premium bottling is an intensely herbaceous Cab. Mint, sage, cracked pepper, beetroot and graphite are at the fore, the black currant fruit almost an afterthought. The palate is sculpted, tightly wound in sinewy, savory tannins. Thankfully, the fruit offers a plushness that doesn't get lost. Pair with a rosemary- and salt-encrusted lamb roast or cellar until 2040. Cellar Selection
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Ngakirikiri feels much riper in its expression, although on the palate, the wine has all of the poise and focus of the 2019 tasted prior. These two wines make up two-thirds of a great trifecta of vintages in Hawke's Bay, across 2019, 2020 and 2021. In terms of purchasing and cellaring, these are three vintages to get behind. The seasons were dry and mild, although there was some seasonal variation in temperature. This is all dark fruit and berries, cocoa, resinous peat and tobacco. This wine is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with just 4% Merlot, matured in 45% new French oak (largely Demptos and Sigeau Moreau). This wine spends three to four weeks on the skins and 18 to 24 months in barrel, with up to two rackings during that time. The wines are blended to tank three months prior to bottling, unfiltered.
Founded in 1961 from humble beginnings, Villa Maria is a story of pioneering spirit and a desire to champion the best of New Zealand wine.
From the cool climate region of Marlborough, famous for crisp, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc, to the sun-soaked Hawkes Bay producing world-class reds, their wine is a unique expression of their extraordinary land, passion for excellence and bold spirit.
Their portfolio of highly awarded wines is the most stylistically and regionally diverse in New Zealand, setting them apart and consistently delivering a rewarding wine experience.
As the leading winemakers in Marlborough with an unwavering focus on quality and sustainability, Villa Maria wines are distinctive, vibrant, and most importantly, delicious.
Today, Villa Maria is globally recognized and adored for bold, expressive, and exceptional New Zealand wines.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
An eclectic region on the east coast of the North Island, Hawkes Bay extends from wide, fertile, coastal plains, inland, to the coast range, whose peaks reach as high as 5,300 feet. While the flatter areas were historically more popular because they are easier to cultivate, their alluvial soils can be too fertile for vines. In the late 20th century, the drive for quality led growers to the hills where soils are free-draining, limestone-rich and more suited to producing high quality wines.
Over the passing of time, the old Ngaruroro River laid down deep, gravelly beds, which were subsequently exposed after a huge flood in the 1860’s. In the 1980s growers identified this stretch, which continues for approximately 800 ha, and named it the Gimblett Gravels. The zone has proven to be ideal for the production of excellent red wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
Today the area takes well-earned recognition for its Bordeaux blends and other reds. Expressive of intense stewed red and black berry with gentle herbaceous characters, Gimblett Gravels wines are suggestive of their cool climate origin, and on par with other top-notch Bordeaux blends around the globe.
Chardonnay is the top white grape in Hawkes Bay, making elegant wines, strong in stone fruit character. Sauvignon blanc comes in close behind, notable for its tropical, fruit forward qualities.