Villa Maria Reserve Albariño 2022

The 2022 Reserve Albarino displays pure and expressive characters of refreshing lime, peach and melon entwined with a subtle saline mineral complexity. The palate starts rich and concentrated before flowing to a long and sleek finish, where notes of lime brightly echo long after.

This wine is crafted from a single vineyard named 'Two Terraces', a relatively cool inland site situated near Maraekakaho which is meticulously managed by the owners Ian and Linda Quinn.

2022 was an atypical Hawkes Bay vintage with frequent rainfall throughout the season presenting challenges. However the robust nature of the Albarino grape came to the fore and the fruit maintained excellent condition through to harvest.

Hand harvesting and gentle whole-bunch pressing encouraged the finest quality juice from the outset. Cold settled, beautifully clear juice was carefully racked under inert gas cover to stainless steel tanks for cool fermentation with aromatic yeast strains. A brief period of maturation on yeast lees followed prior to blending of the individual parcels for finishing and bottling.