This is another wine I discovered at the Tesco Autumn Winter Press Tasting and simply had to revisit. It’s part of Tesco’s Finest range, but there’s no mystery about who’s behind it, Villa Maria is openly and proudly named as the producer. It comes from a single vineyard in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley, New Zealand and come in at 12.5% ABV.
It’s got lots of credibility, having picked up a Decanter Platinum award with an impressive 97 points, along with silver medals from both the IWSC and IWC.
In the glass, it’s a lovely pale lemon colour, with classic Sauvignon Blanc aromas of gooseberry, passionfruit, red capsicum, freshly cut grass and citrus. Take a sip and those explosive aromatics carry through beautifully, delivering a lively combination of crisp citrus and tropical fruit. It’s dry, with high acidity and a long, zesty, wonderfully pungent finish that really makes its presence felt.
Compared with many other Sauvignon Blancs, this gladly sits firmly at the cleaner, less musky end of the spectrum. It’s perhaps a little more citrus-driven, noticeably fresher and sharper, with a mouthwatering acidity that makes you want to go back for another sip. In many ways, it feels more like Sauvignon Blanc used to be, long ago, before it went mass-market.
I’d go as far as saying this is probably the best supermarket Sauvignon Blanc around at the moment. Then again, at £15.50 a bottle, it’s certainly at the higher end of supermarket Sauvignon Blanc pricing. But catch it in Tesco’s 25% off mix-six offer and it becomes a bit of a bargain.
