Villa Maria Reserve Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc

Description

Villa Maria Reserve Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc is a New Zealand white wine, 100% Sauvignon, from the Awatere Valley in Marlborough.

Villa Maria is probably one of the most famous New Zealand winery and, alongside Cloudy Bay, is responsible for the initial popularity of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in the the UK. The origins of Villa Maria stretch back to 1961 when, aged 21, Sir George Fistonich leased 5 acres of land from his father, planted vines and started making wine. Since those first cuttings took hold in the soil out in Mangere, near Auckland, Sir George has been determined to be at the cutting edge of quality wine-growing. Today Villa Maria is available in more than 50 countries around the world and has claimed the title of New Zealand’s Most Awarded Winery for over thirty consecutive years.

The grapes for the Villa Maria Reserve Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc  are sourced from The Graham, McKee and Gussin Vineyards which are very near the coast and 75% of this blend is from this very cool and windy part of the Awatere Valley imparting a linear structure and chalky salinity to the wine. The remainder of the grapes are sourced from Villa Maria’s Blackbirch Vineyard, located inland with 200m elevation on the northern bank of the Awatere River. After harvest the Sauvignon Blanc undergoes 100% stainless steel fermentation using selected aromatic and textural yeast strains.The wine is carefully monitored and left to rest for a period of time on lees to help build palate weight and texture.