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Villa Maria Estate Ngakirikiri 2018
Villa Maria Estate Ngakirikiri 2018
- Grape 90% Cabernet Sauvignon 8% Merlot 2% Malbe
- Country New Zealand
- Region Hawkes Bay
- ABV 13.5 %
- Producer Villa Maria Estate
- Case size 6 / 75cl
- This wine is the culmination of over 50 years of passion. A wine with poise, presence and a deep geological history.
- This deep ruby-coloured wine yields notably intense and pure aromatics of cassis, red and black plum, and floral violet scents, with fresh ground coffee beans, fragrant dried thyme, and cedar spice nuances also vying for attention. Layers of concentrated flavours 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. This full-bodied and age-worthy wine will benefit and gain additional complexity from careful cellaring over the next 15-20 years.
Upon pouring, the deep-ruby-hued 2018 vintage gradually unfolds fragrant aromatics of cassis, violets, and complex wood spices, with graphite, thyme, and clove also emerging from the glass. Layers of concentrated flavours are revealed across a medium to full-bodied frame, with ripe fruit, hints of black olive, and cigar, all wrapped by fine-grained tannins and supportive oak, enhancing texture and richness from start to finish. This vintage will benefit and gain additional complexity from careful cellaring over the next 15+ years.
The 2018 Hawkes Bay vintage followed one of the warmest summers on record, providing superb conditions for ripening. Heat summation finished well ahead of the long-term average with 1500 Growing Degree Days (GDDs). Although the white harvest commenced early with pressure from untimely rain, thick-skinned, skinned, and later ripening reds were harvested in excellent condition under welcome blue skies and produced the greatest wines of the harvest.
The grapes were destemmed and crushed before a 21-day fermentation, during which the caps were hand plunged three times a day. Post-fermentation, the wine was racked to a 60% new French oak barrique for 20 months of ageing.
Country | New Zealand |
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Vintage | 2018 |
Bottles Per Case | 6 |
Bottle Size | 75 |
2 cases 10% off | No |
Winery | Hawkes Bay's coastal location and proximity to mountains typically experience a dry maritime climate with an influential diurnal temperature range. Gimblett Gravels is approximately 15km inland and experiences temperatures typically warmer than neighbouring localities. This promotes a consistent level of ripeness achieved by low-yielding vines planted in free-draining soils. |