Man O' War Ironclad Bordeaux Blend 2019 - Waiheke Island, New Zealand

95/100 Bob Campbell (2018 vintage)
93/100 Bob Campbell (2017 Vintage)
93/100 Cameron Douglas (2017 Vintage)

Top Rank - The Real Review Recommended

A blend of cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot and cabernet sauvignon

Bob Campbell, Master of Wine "Bold, intense and youthful wine with strong cherry and berry, plum, dried fruits, spices, liquorice, dark chocolate and cedar flavours. Impressive now but with obvious cellaring potential."

Cameron Douglas "Flavours reflect the nose with the plums and dark berries, dark brown spices of oak and toasty wood, a vanilla and clove layer. Firm tannins, medium+ acidity, great balance and length. A classic Man O' War wine."

The Winemaker "The nose is a mixture of red and black fruit with pencil lead and sous-bois and a hint of incense. The palate is medium bodied with a ferrous grip that knots together with some excellent acidity. The flavours are more of the black fruit with some attractive herbal notes highlighting the Cabernet Franc."

Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier "Really decent bouquet of dark berries and plums, blackberries and cocoa, violet and wood smoke, marmite and toasty wood. On the palate - weighty, rich, fruity, woody and tasty. Flavours reflect the nose with the plums and dark berries, dark brown spices of oak and toasty wood, a vanilla and clove layer. Firm tannins, medium+ acidity, great balance and length. A classic M-O-War wine. Drink now and through 2023." (2017 Vintage)

Man O'War Vineyards is a leading New Zealand wine producer on Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf. It is known for its consistently high-quality range of wines made from grape varieties like Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Each small parcel of vines is carefully tended and harvested by hand, then vinified separately, fusing classic Old World techniques with innovative New World ideas.

Waiheke Island is a wine-producing region just 18km east of Auckland city. This hilly island is home to a healthy population of hippies and artists, as well as some of Auckland's most famous vineyards. Waiheke Island's specialty is elegant Bordeaux Blend wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but Syrah and Chardonnay are also important grape varieties planted here.

A Bordeaux Blend is any combination of those grape varieties typically used to make the red wines of Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon is widely accepted as a compulsory component of any Bordeaux Blend along with Merlot. In fact, the majority of Bordeaux Blend wines are often made exclusively from a blend of these two varieties. The remaining components are Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.