Villa Maria Ngakirikiri

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.

Voted best New Zealand Red in 2023 so it’s perfectly drinkable now too by the way!

2019 will be fondly remembered as one of Hawkes Bay’s greatest vintages, featuring one of the warmest growing seasons on record with >1500 Growing Degree Days (GDD’s) well above the districts long term average and driven mainly by conditions experienced between January and March, resulting in early veraison and harvest. Early season rainfall enabled healthy vine canopies to ripen fruit and dry out the soils deep into the long and exceptionally dry finish to the season. With the key harvest period through to April experiencing such ideal climatic conditions, fruit was harvested at optimum ripeness and in beautiful condition.