Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Review | Top Costco Wines

Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Review | Top Costco Wines

Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc

Goodbye Winter, hello Spring! The first day of March was sun-drenched and 65 degrees here in the nation’s capital, so I seized the opportunity to thaw out with a wholly therapeutic run along the waterfront in beautiful historic Georgetown. As someone who strongly dislikes the cold and loves the outdoors, you could say I have a case of Spring fever!

With the days getting longer and temperatures steadily increasing, I know many of you will be heading to your local Costco Wine Section to stock up on crisp white wines like the popular Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, which is surprisingly now even available by the glass at many Starbucks locations. Having not tried it yet myself, I thought it might be appropriate to finally give the Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc a shot.

Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc

A scene from my run along the waterfront. You can check out my Instagram profile by clicking the image.

Appearance: Light straw-yellow

Nose: The nose is perfumed and aromatic revealing aromas of white flowers, lychee and passionfruit interlaced with lime citrus and grass.

On the palate: Medium in body, the Private Bin Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc reveals a delicate balancing act between its core of sweet lychee and passionfruit balanced by gently tart grapefruit and lime flavors. There’s some refreshing acidity, though not as much as some competing offerings. A soft, pretty expression of Sauvignon Blanc that’s sure to find fans amongst consumers who find New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs too edgy or racy.

Vintage: 2015

Varietal Composition: Sauvignon Blanc

Origin: Marlborough, New Zealand

Value Rating:  4.25 / 5     

Where to get it: The Costco Wine Section, or by the glass at select Starbucks locations with the Starbucks Evenings menu.

Price: $10.39

Score: 87

Should you buy? A solid value at Costco’s price, the Private Bin Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc is a good option for those consumers who often find New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs too racy, edgy or acidic. It offers a sweet core of fruit balanced by enough refreshing acidity to keep you coming back for more. It’s soft, pretty and very quaffable. While I prefer its racier, high-acid compatriots, I can certainly see why the Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc has become so popular.

Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc

Value Proposition | Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc – Top Costco Wines

Villa Maria Winery has come quite a long way from its modest beginnings when founder George Fistonich leased five acres of land from his father in 1961. At that time, he had just one acre planted to vine producing dry red and white wines with assistance from his wife, Gail. Soon they began sourcing fruit from throughout the greater Auckland regions and then growth exploded in the 1970s as George shifted his focus towards expansion.

Now over 50 years later, Villa Maria Winery has grown to become a global wine brand with exports to over 50 countries worldwide all while establishing itself as a leader in sustainability efforts. In 2015 Villa Maria was recognized by Drinks International as New Zealand’s Most Admired Wine Brand.

Having tasted the Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc now it makes perfect sense why it was chosen as the requisite Sauvignon Blanc choice on the new Starbucks Evenings wine menu. It strikes a good balance between delivering a core of sweet, ripe fruit underpinned by the telltale enlivening acidity you expect from Marlborough’s iteration of the varietal. But it’s also soft, pretty, not too edgy and affordably priced – all but ensuring it’s popularity amongst a larger segment of consumers.


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6 thoughts on “Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Review | Top Costco Wines

    1. The Fermented Fruit Post author

      Wow, you really do go way back! I’m also a big fan of Sauvignon Blanc, and love grapefruit without sugar 🙂 This particular bottle could have benefitted from some more of the tell-tale herbaceousness and spine tingling acidity I have come to love in Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, but it is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

      Reply
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