Man O' War Waiheke Island Ironclad 2024

Description

Blackberry, Chocolate, Oak

The nose is deep and confident: blackcurrant, graphite, dark plum and cassis, layered with cedar, cigar box, bay leaf and a hint of sea spray. There’s a polished, savoury undertow; dried herbs, cocoa and crushed rock, that speaks clearly of both site and restraint. On the palate, the wine is seamless and commanding. Rich, dark fruits roll in first; blackberry, damson plum and black cherry, framed by fine, maritime tannins and a cool, mineral spine. Nothing sticks out. Nothing rushes. It’s all poise, balance and quiet authority. Oak adds structure rather than sweetness, lending notes of spice, toasted cedar and dark chocolate, while the acidity keeps the wine lifted and precise. The finish is long, dry and confident, fading out in layers of cassis, graphite and saline freshness. This is not a blockbuster it’s a battleship; powerful, composed and built to travel a long way. From a rare, small-yield vintage that delivered clarity, depth and longevity, Ironclad 2024 is what happens when everything locks into place. A wine that will drink beautifully young but will truly shine a decade from now.

Some seasons feel like a negotiation, 2024 felt like a handshake, delivering everything Bordeaux-inspired reds aspire to: balance, concentration and finesse. From budburst to harvest, Waiheke Island enjoyed a near-textbook run of warm days, cool nights and just enough stress to keep the vines honest. Yields were naturally low, berries small and intensely flavoured – producing some of our finest wines to date.

Fruit was hand-harvested from our dry-grown vineyards in steep, sheltered valleys, protected from the Pacific’s cooling influence. Each parcel was fermented separately with native yeasts in open-top fermenters over a 30-day vat period, allowing site character to shine. Following fermentation, the wines were matured individually in 500-litre French oak puncheons, undergoing natural malolactic fermentation and resting on gross lees for 18 months to build texture and depth. After extensive tasting and blending trials, the final blend was returned to oak for a further six months to harmonise structure and complexity before bottling.