Villa Maria Estate Cellar Selection Albarino 2015

Sylvain Segard rated this wine as 91/100 with the following review:

The black sheep of the Villa Maria wine herd, so to speak. The Albariño grape, which would you normally find in Spain, is a rare find in New Zealand. The Bell vineyard was planted in 2009 and, based on this small cuvée of 250 cases, this experiment promises fine vintages for the future.

Medium yellow gold in colour. Aromas of ripe peaches, white flowers, citrus, and honey. This lovely wine has a dry and textured mouthfeel with stone fruit flavours that linger in the mouth over a firm acidity and long briny finish, which would make it a great pair for shellfish. Score 91. (Reviewed Nov. 2016)

Cora Beaulieu rated this wine as 91/100 with the following review:

Platinum yellow. Lovely aromas of white nectarine, crushed shells, hints of brine and floral notes. Definitely some lemony and stone-fruit characters. The acidity is incredibly dry (this is a good thing) but yet has a silky mouthfeel and refreshing finish. Tastes of ripe stone-fruit, minerals and apples. Very tangy and fresh and has a long, mineral-edged finish.

Lynn van der Linde rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:

I was honoured to taste this wine with Villa Maria viticulturist, Ollie Powery in mid-November 2016 during his visit to Canada. This wine had not yet been tasted in Ontario, and as such you may have to make a special field trip to Gisborne, New Zealand to taste this gem!

This was a fun and rewarding experiment for the wine making team at Villa Maria, as the Albarino grape is typically grown in the northwestern regions of Spain, where the climate is humid and the soils are mostly composed of granite. In comparison, Gisborne, located in the northeastern part of New Zealand enjoys significant rainfall as well, but has more of a silt and clay soil composite. Girborne is known for growing more aromatic wine like Viognier and Pinot Gris, which is actually very similar to Albarino.

A gorgeous bouquet of fresh stone fruit, lime, and floral notes fill the bowl, with and distinct saltiness on the palate and a lingering fruit finish. This wine would be perfect with light fish dishes, seafood, or summer salads.
Tasted Nov 2016.

Monique Sosa rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

This sounds like an oddball but from my experience, Villa Maria embraces the bizarre. So, why not? This wine shows intense citrus, honey, and sea salt notes. This wine is medium-bodied with high scrumptious acidity and clean refreshing finish. Enjoy with a seafood antipasti salad. tasted Nov 2016 @sommsosa | bespoketatsings.ca

Lori Kilmartin WSET3 rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

After a visit to Spain the owner of Villa Maria decided that the area and soils of Gisborne would be suitable to grow the Albarino Grape. First planted in 2009 the first vintage was released in 2011. Five years later this 2015 is a great expression of the varietal; aromas of citrus and white stone fruit, mouth-watering acidity and a long dry, mineral finish. A great pairing for almost any kind of seafood. Only 250 cases were made in 2015 so if you get your hands on some - call me!! Tasted November 15, 2016.

Matt Steeves rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

Albarino is not a grape you hear in the same phrase as New Zealand as this varietal is most common in Spain, in fact the meaning of Albarino is 'the white (wine) from the Rhine'. That didn't stop Villa Maria from experimenting with this unique varietal sourced from Gisborne region in NZ. The nose shows sweet botanicals, apricot, almonds, and a sea breeze briney note. The palate is crisp with a slightly pithy texture and more of that briney character surrounding the sweet fruit. Ideally suited for enjoying with seafood, Spanish tapas, and terrific with calamari with a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice. At only 250 cases produced, you'll be hard pressed to get your hands on one of these in North America, but if you do, I'd highly recommend buying a few and enjoying in the summer sun. Tasted November 2016. 89 points. Matt Steeves - www.quercusvino.ca

Jane Staples rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:

When Villa Maria discovered that they had a good climate for Albariño , they imported vine cuttings from Spain to plant in their Gisborne vineyards. Success! This fragrant, extra-dry white has refreshing aromas and flavours of lime, peach, apricot and honeysuckle. The bright acidity makes it a terrific match with shellfish and it has a delicate, pleasing finish.
Tasted Nov. 2016

Rachelle O'Connor rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

An Albarino from New Zealand! These vines were planted quite a distance from home - only about 250 cases of this wine were produced for this vintage. There is lots of peach and lime on the nose, a distinct minerality and lovely flavors of more peach and lime on the palate. The 2015 Gisborne vintage was exposed to lots of hot dry days and increased the ripeness of the fruit - although Villa Maria's Viticulturist Ollie Powrie can't take credit for the grapes he is quite fond of the final product - a lovely accompaniment to fresh squid on the barbecue.

Pamela Chiles rated this wine as 88/100 with the following review:

Here is a unique wine - Albarino from New Zealand! Crafted from vines planted in 2009, half a world away from their home in Spain, and made in very limited quantities (~250 cases). Aromas open with fresh citrus and stone fruit notes; very focused lemon-lime, nutty flavours with a trace of salinity and a hint of smokiness. Crisp and dry and very refreshing. Happily pairs with light shellfish and seafood dishes.