Man O' War

A big red with a big following thanks to its dense dark and impressive ripe black plummy flavours intermingled with spice in a deliciously full bodied, complex red wine from Waiheke Island's biggest wine producer. 

The grapes in this wine come from six vineyards on the island. They are called  Asylum, Big North, Garden Cove, Mad Mans, Niko Face and North 3; all small sites planted on extremely steep hillsides on a remote and beautiful corner of Waiheke Island. Each little vineyard was originally planted as an experiment to see how well grapes would fare here. The results speak for themselves; Man O' War Dreadnought Syrah is a commanding and powerful red from one of the warmest climates in New Zealand. It was fermented in French oak, 32% new and 68% seasoned and is named after the first in a line of early 20th Century battleships which was named Dreadnought. 

The Island Blend is typically 53% Cabernet Franc, 27% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot and 8% Malbec sourced from both Waiheke and Ponui Island.

This is a rich, ripe wine with sweet red berry fruit framed by chocolate and spice. The palate is softly textured with fine ripe tannins making for a decadent expression of a Cabernet franc dominated Bordeaux blend. This wine is drinking beautifully on release and will be ideal with a summer barbeque or a winter roast.

Ironclad is a full bodied red blend made from traditional Bordeaux grape varieties which are grown on Waiheke Island. It's a blend of 45% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Malbec, which make a complex, structured red for aging up to 10 years or drinking now, decanted and served in your largest red winwe glass.

Its name comes from 19th Century warships characterised by iron bolted onto wooden hulls, in a similar way to the way the warm clay weaves itself into Waiheke Island's hillside vineyards.

Savoury and complex Chardonnay from one of Waiheke Island's best wineries. Powerful and rich, yet tempered by high acidity and aromatic notes. The focused palate is defined by ripe fruit flavours and integrated oaky tannin. This is a wine made to age gracefully but is still excellent in its youth. 

Commercial description

With our Chardonnay we give a maceration of the whole bunches before pressing which increases the amount of grape solids in the juice to give greater intensity of varietal character and structure. Once fermentation is finished we add small amounts of sulphur at each topping to preserve the freshness and fruitfulness of the wine. We do not stir the lees or allow the wine to go through malolactic fermentation. 

Man O? War Chardonnay exhibits intense ripe stone fruit characters with subtle hints passionfruit seed and a nutty lees influence.

VINEYARDS: Cactus Merlot/Malbec, Lunatic Syrah, Owhiti Malbec, Ponui Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. 

BLEND: Malbec 35%, Merlot 32%, Syrah 28%, Cabernet Franc 5%

WINEMAKING

The vintage of 2023 was a challenging year climatically, very wet and humid with low sunshine hours and periods of intense rain culminating in flooding in late January and Cyclone Gabrielle in early February.  The weather improved for the harvest months, but low sunshine hours resulted in wines with a light elegant touch, fresh, lively and delicious in their delicacy. Our Pinque Rose is harvested from select coastal sites on Waiheke and Ponui Islands made up of individual vineyards planted in Merlot, Malbec and Syrah which are designed with Rose production in mind. Picking early in the season but still showcasing red berry characters, the f ruit is whole bunch pressed in the champagne style liberating only the cleanest and most pure of juice. Fermented cool in stainless steel tanks and blended in the winter. 

TASTING NOTE

Pinque is a pure expression of Rose. Beginning with a classic pale salmon colour the wine has aromas of crushed rose petal, musk candy (pink smokers) strawberry flesh and a maritime scent. The palate is fresh and delicate with shades of stone and citrus fruits with fresh herbs finishing clean, crisp and delicious. 2023 Pinque is an uplifting and refreshing response to a challenging vintage.

Swiftsure Sauvignon Blanc is blended from carefully selected sites to capture the essence of Marlborough. Like contrasting combinations of colour, the vivid hues and muted shades of the Marlborough landscape and the tinted waters of both river and sea evoke a sensation of the purity of nature captured within the wine; mineral, fresh, ripe, and delicious.

Their Southern Coast Vineyard is situated in Marlboroughs southernmost sub-region in the shadow of the Kaikoura Ranges.

Its relatively elevated position and the influence of the cooler coastal climate and sea breeze result in lower yields and concentrated flavours.

Bursting with aromas; an abundance of tropical fruits, crisp citrus, punchy jalapeno, and fresh herbs this wine showcases the intensity that has made Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc famous the world over. The palate is refined and classical with a vibrancy of fruit and a mineral purity that creates a sense of sophistication and elegance.

Commercial description

WINEMAKING

The vintage of 2023 was a challenging year climatically, very wet, and humid with low sunshine hours and periods of intense rain culminating in flooding in late January and Cyclone Gabrielle in early February.  The weather improved for the harvest months, but low sunshine hours resulted in wines with a light elegant touch, fresh, lively, and delicious in their delicacy.

Our Sauvignon Blanc vineyards are elevated hillside sites, grown on volcanic-influenced soils and exposed to cooling sea breezes. Dry grown and hand harvested before being gently whole bunch pressed, the juice is racked clear and fermented in tank with cultured yeasts, then blended, f iltered, and bottled in the winter. 

TASTING NOTE

Our 2023 Estate Sauvignon Blanc is a classically styled, wonderfully f resh aromatic wine. With clean bright aromas of snow pea and freshly chopped herbs the palate has citrus and elderflower characters, finishing with a refreshing crisp mineral purity. A fresh breezy wine that displays beautiful balance with a mineral delicacy, perfect for summer drinking.

Pinot Gris for the Exiled comes from the St Helena clone of Pinot gris grown on both Waiheke and Ponui Islands. Lightly crushed and pressed then settled in tank before being racked with light solids into tank for fermentation. A mixture of un-inoculated and cultured yeast ferments are used with each vineyard fermenting slowly until the desired balance of acid, tannin and sugar is reached. The wines are then chilled to below zero to stop the fermentation before blending, the blend is held at low temperatures in the cellar until bottling to retain as much of the natural carbon dioxide as possible.

Off-dry in style.