Villa Maria Single Vineyard Southern Clays Pinot Noir 2015 (Marlborough)
TYPICALLY MARLBOROUGH
“We were just tasting some 2015s the other day, and thinking, ‘Those were the days – or vintages!’,” said Villa Maria’s Senior Marlborough Winemaker Helen Morrison “It seems like a long time ago now,” she added, speaking just as the remnants of Cyclone Gita bore down on Marlborough’s vineyards prior to the 2018 harvest. She describes the 2015 pinot vintage as “relaxed”. Spring conditions regulated yields naturally and thanks to a benign autumn the picking date was not forced. All the fruit that goes into the Southern Clays pinot is grown on a site in the Ben Morven valley owned by a Villa Maria grower of long standing, John Rutherford. “It’s a vineyard that delivers time and again,” said Morrison. “The tight clay soils give us robust earthy tannins, along with the lovely red cherry fruit flavours that are typically Marlborough. As with all of Villa Maria Reserve and Single Vineyard expressions, our top wine was held back and only released a few months ago. The tannins are still quite tight… it’s a wine that will age well.” Asked to supply a food match, Morrison doesn’t hesitate: “slow-cooked lamb.”