Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Marlborough Pinot ain't what it used to be, and for that I'm glad. The 2019 Pinot Noir Attorney is a limited-edition cuvée made for the 60th anniversary of the company's first vintage in 1961. Sourced from the Attorney vineyard in Marlborough, hence the wine's name, this conservative young wine needs air; while offering raspberry and balsamic notes, it is a touch reductive on opening. Densely concentrated with a silken and mouthfilling texture, which is probably a reflection of its clay-based hillside site; the veil of fine-grained tannins offsets the charming, ripe palate with textured, dry grip. In combination with its naturally fresh acidity, the wine is sensuous and seductive but avoids being opulent; it remains focused and enjoys a long tenure in the mouth. (It’s also great for doing bicep curls due to the weight of the bottle.) For those who are interested, it was wild-fermented in French oak (35% new) and matured in barrel for more than a year before being bottled unfiltered.
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James Suckling
Bright and fruity nose of red cherries, raspberries, currants, sweet licorice and dried flowers. It’s medium-bodied with bright acidity and very fine tannins. Fleshy and wild with fresh-herb character. From organically grown grapes.
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Wine Enthusiast
Cedar smoke, tar, dried herbs, spices and florals open this rich, perfumed wine. They nicely complement the ripe red-currant and cherry-preserve aromas, creating an overall autumnal vibe. There's a lovely freshness to the juicy red fruit, aided by mouthwatering acidity, and tugged into place by spice-laden tannins. Those herbal, floral aromas go along for the ride.
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.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
An icon and leading region of New Zealand's distinctive style of Sauvignon blanc, Marlborough has a unique terroir, making it ideal for high quality grape production (of many varieties). Despite some common generalizations, which could be fairly justified given that Marlborough is responsible for 90% of New Zealand's Sauvignon blanc production, the wines from this region are actually anything but homogenous. At the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, the vineyards of Marlborough benefit from well-draining, stony soils, a dry, sunny climate and wide temperature fluctuations between day and night, a phenomenon that supports a perfect balance between berry ripeness and acidity.
The region’s king variety, Sauvignon blanc, is beloved for its pungent, aromatic character with notes of exotic tropical fruit, freshly cut grass and green bell pepper along with a refreshing streak of stony minerality. These wines are made in a wide range of styles, and winemakers take advantage of various clones, vineyard sites, fermentation styles, lees-stirring and aging regimens to differentiate their bottlings, one from one another.
Also produced successfully here are fruit-forward Pinot noirs (especially where soils are clay-rich), elegant Riesling, Pinot gris and Gewürztraminer.