Villa Maria's Marlborough winemaker Helen Morrison sent a selection of her sauvignon blancs to highlight the characteristics of individual vineyards and subregions.
One of the few wineries to produce single-vineyard sauvignon, its pristine wines show differences between the lush fruit of the warmer Wairau Valley and the more pungent, crunchy herbal characteristics of the Awatere Valley.
BEST VALUE
$15
Three and a half stars (out of five)
Good value
Fragrant and attractive with a light spritz, floral and herbal aromas and a touch of mineral. It's off-dry with a firm, crisp finish and lingering aftertaste - lovely well chilled on a warm day.
villamaria.co.nz
$20
Four stars
Good value
Initially this is beguilingly soft with lush ripe fruits - melon, green fruits and herbs - and a silky texture which cushions a steely shaft of acidity on the finish. Good with food. A 50:50 blend of fruit from the two valleys.
villamaria.co.nz
$24
Four stars
Average value
From coastal and inland vineyards in the Awatere, this hints of asparagus, fresh peas and mineral, a mellow silkiness cushioning its assertive intensity.
villamaria.co.nz
$24
Four and a half stars
Good value
From an organic vineyard in the Awatere Valley, this is a pungent wine hinting of mint, ginger, fresh asparagus and mineral, intense and assertive but also silky with a hint of creaminess. Powerful but beautifully balanced with a long finish.
villamaria.co.nz
$24
Four stars
Average value
From the clay soils of the lower, north-facing slopes of the hills above the Wairau Valley, this is floral and mellowed with generous fruit - ripe melon, guava, golden kiwi - which evolves into an intense, powerful wine with a suggestion of nuts and a lively finish hinting of grapefruit marmalade on the aftertaste.
villamaria.co.nz
$24
Four stars
Average value
No shrinking violet, this intense wine oozes aromas of gorse flowers, herbs and pea pods, with lush sweet fruit such as ripe melon and gooseberries, supported by a steely mineral backbone of acidity and a lingering aftertaste.
villamaria.co.nz
