Villa Maria Ngakirikiri Cabernet Sauvignon

A wine 25 years in the making. From the vintage of a lifetime. Produced by NZ’s most awarded winery. A piece of NZ wine history is here and it’s name is Ngakirikiri. It means “The Gravels” in Maori and it’s Villa Maria’s new flagship wine.

Over 25 years ago a special ceremony was held at the Ngakirikiri Vineyard in Hawke’s Bay, blessed by Maori elders. Villa Maria owner Sir George Fistonich then planted vines on the special site with the idea to release his greatest ever red wine when the time was right.

So when the amazing 2021 vintage came along George pushed the button to produce the 6th ever release of this absolutely exceptional quality 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot blend from the Gimblett Gravels and aged for 18 months in 40% expensive new oak. It’s quite rightly picked up some seriously smart critic scores and a stunning 97/100 and Best In Show Award – recognised as one of the “50 Best Wines in the World” from the world’s largest and most influential wine competitions – the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards in London.

Winning Best In Show with a 97/100 rating which is an absolutely incredible achievement! Winning Best In Show at the DWWA is no easy road that’s for sure. After joining over 18,000 other wines they are then awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze – the rest are shown the door! Then the best of the best go toe-to-toe to determine the Platinum award winners. THEN, the Platinum award winners go to head-to-head to discover the overall Best In Show winners, the top 50 wines from the entire competition.

Or let’s put it another way – top 50 from over 18,000 is just 0.002% of all wines entered got a Best In Show Award!

The judges at the DWWA in London had this to say. “Our fifth Best In Show wine from Hawkes Bay is also our second Gimblett Gravels Bordeaux-style blend to come through at this level, though in this case Cabernet dominates the blend to such an extent that it could legally be sold as a varietal wine. It’s also a fine testament to the quality of the magnificent 2021 vintage in this warm, North Island region. Expect a saturated black-red colour with diagnostic New Zealand pungency of aroma: ‘rose-buds and mocha’ for one taster, and ‘dark berries, meat, tobacco and boot polish on leather’ for another. There’s also a lively plant-sap note which brings added freshness. The palate is dark, dense and meaty yet oozing more sap, too. The tannins are ultra-fine yet taut (leather once again is a good analogy) and the acidity is buoyant; it’s a wine that will hold well, and keep all of its freshness as it does so.”

The rave reviews don’t stop there either…

99/100 (Sam Kim)
“An exceptional offering, capturing varietal purity and the vineyard’s special sense of place, combined with skilfully crafted refinement, this is a compelling rendition showing cassis, rich floral, cedar, clove, and tobacco nuances on the nose, leading to an immensely concentrated palate exhibiting impressive depth and power. Wonderfully balanced and firmly structured with layers of chalky tannins, it is solid and robust yet harmonious and seamless with a sustained, engaging finish. At its best: 2030 to 2047.”

97/100 (Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review)
“Elegance on a grand scale with perfectly restrained fruit flavours that include cassis, chocolate/mocha, blackberrry, vanilla and spicy oak flavours. Youthful wine with loads of cellaring potential”

96/100 (Cam Douglas MS)
“Opaque appearance with dark almost inky hues of purples and ruby. The bouquet is concentrated and powerful, scents of blackberry and tobacco, smoky oak and pure new wood power. Roasted plums, blackberry and some dark cherry scents build as the wine opens out in glass. Complex and youthful. A dry, fruity and immediately varietal wine touches the palate first. Flavours of purple and blackberry, dark skinned orchard fruits, fresh tobacco and sweet bell-pepper all reveal themselves simultaneously. Firm tannins and plenty of acidity along with a concentration of fruit flavours ensure this wine will age well. Best drinking from 2032 through 2040.”

Presented in a stunning Ngakirikiri gift box, this is rare, collectable and made with seriously long term cellaring in mind!