Villa Maria Reserve Pinot Noir

Being NZ’s most awarded winery you come to expect anything under their premium Reserve black label has to be seriously A-grade stuff to make the cut.

This is the Villa Maria Reserve Pinot Noir, one of their great flagship Pinot Noirs, and year after year it proves itself to be a world class example of Pinot Noir from Marlborough. They’ve used the best parcels of fruit from three key vineyard sites in the Awatere Valley, Southern Valleys and Wairau Valley. The fruit is all 100% hand picked and aged for 14 months in French oak.

The winemaker was clearly pretty happy with how this 2021 release of Villa Maria Reserve Pinot Noir turned out. “A classic expression of Pinot Noir, this wine exhibits a perfumed bouquet of cherries, wild berry and subtle spice. An elegant and refined palate displaying rich flavours and layered, complex textures given by fine silky tannins. Made with aging in mind, this wine will offer intrigue and complexity with time in bottle.”

And it’s certainly not disappointed on the wine show circuit either picking up a highly prestigeous Gold and 95/100 at the world’s largest and most influential competition – the Decanter World Wine Awards in London…

Gold medal, 95/100 (Decanter World Wine Awards)
“Polished, high-toned and meticulous with a warming spice finale”

Gold medal (NZ Int’l Wine Show)

96/100 (Sam Kim)
“Superbly stylish and refined with a sustained, satisfying finish”

94/100 & Top Rank Award (Bob Campbell MW)
“A charming and seductive wine”

94/100 (Cam Douglas MS)
“There’s vigor and charm, youthful energy and fruit concentration. Well made, young and needs a little cellar time. Best drinking from 2026 through 2033+”

A gorgeously complex, silky, satisfying Marlborough Pinot that’s well deserving of its prestigeous Reserve label status. It’s got several years under its belt and is good to go until 2030 and beyond.