2024 Man O' War Ironclad Bordeaux Blend, Waiheke Island

The Spencer family has farmed the eastern end of Waiheke Island for over a century — a 4,500-acre coastal property of rugged hillsides, cliffs and sheltered bays that Captain James Cook noted for its towering kauri trees in 1769. Vines were first planted in 1993 across steep hillside blocks, each with its own soil profile and microclimate. Today 150 acres of dry-grown vines spread across 76 individual blocks, with winemaker Duncan McTavish and vineyard manager Matt Allen steering Man O’War for over a decade. The estate has become known particularly for its well-structured Bordeaux-style blends and Syrah wines that display a maritime edge reflecting both the ruggedness of the site and the warmth of the island's sheltered valleys.

Man O' War's hillside vineyards sit on iron-rich warm clay soils. The Ironclad takes both its character and its name from that iron, referencing 19th century warships armoured in iron plate. The 2024 blend is led by Cabernet Franc at 50%, with Merlot, Petit Verdot and a small portion of Cabernet Sauvignon completing the composition — the Cabernet Franc lead gives the wine its aromatic lift and precise, fine-grained tannins.

Fruit was hand-harvested from dry-grown vines, fermented separately with native yeasts in open-top fermenters over 30 days, then matured in French oak puncheons, 30% of which were new, for 18 months on gross lees. After blending, the wine rested a further six months in oak before bottling.

The 2024 was a near-textbook vintage. Warm days, cool nights and naturally low yields produced small, intensely flavoured berries, and the wine displays this through clarity, concentration and composure. Blackcurrant, dark plum, cassis and graphite on the nose with cedar, cigar box, bay leaf and a hint of sea spray. The palate is seamless and commanding: dark fruit framed by fine maritime tannins and a cool mineral spine, with oak adding structure and spice rather than sweetness. Long, dry and precise on the finish with layers of cassis, graphite and saline freshness.

This wine rewards patience through cellaring as much as it rewards opening now with plenty of air. Enjoy with slow-roasted lamb rack with herbs and a red wine reduction, or a Korean galbi braise with soy, ginger and pear.

Drink now through 2038.