Ngakirikiri stands out amongst some of the best in the world at a recent benchmark tasting session in Auckland.

How do you benchmark your Icon wine amongst the best in the word? Invite seven of New Zealand’s best-known wine critics to a blind tasting session with a lineup of impressive world-renown wines. That’s exactly what the team at Villa Maria did to showcase their Icon wine, Ngakirikiri Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 as having a place amongst the world’s great Cabernet Sauvignons.

The comparative tasting took place at The Northern Club in Auckland at the end of September and the attending critics included; Bob Campbell MW, Cameron Douglas MS, Sam Kim, Jane Skilton MW, Paul Tudor MW, Angie Atkinson and Celia Hay.

At the day’s tasting session, the group were poured seven Cabernet Sauvignons from around the world, with Ngakirikiri hidden in the mix. The goal wasn’t for Ngakirikiri to compete with these wines, rather to be examined comparatively. The attendees tasted through the wines with Villa Maria’s Nick Picone, Group Chief Winemaker and Matt Dellar, Chief Global Sales and Marketing Officer. As the group talked their way through the lineup, Matt revealed each wine. The verdict was Ngakirikiri certainly has a place among these great wines being scored 3rd behind Lafite-Rothschild and Almaviva, equal with Pichon Lalande and ahead of Vasse Felix Tom Cuillity and Au Yun.

Ngakirikiri 2014 marks the second vintage released of Villa Maria’s flagship wine and is a presentation of the very best of Villa Maria’s holdings in the Gimblett Gravels appellation. The 2014 is a pure Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from a single parcel of exceptional fruit selected row by row from less than 2 hectares of ultra-low yielding vineyard. It is a highly aspirational project and the wine arguably the most comprehensive and focused Villa Maria has ever produced. The critics at the comparative tasting were certainly proud a New Zealand Cabernet has a place in the top echelon of Cabernet Sauvignon from around the world.

Learn more about our Ngakirikiri 2014 release here.