Man O' War 'Warspite' Waiheke Island Cabernet Merlot 2013

Man O' War 'Warspite' Waiheke Island Cabernet Merlot 2013"A bold, rich blend of cabernet franc, merlot and malbec, with almost succulent sweet fruit and alcohol giving the wine a smooth texture and making it surprisingly accessible for a complex and powerful red. From the Man O'War's Ponui Island vineyards. Drink 2016 to 2025" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Gourmet Traveller, Jun 2016 "Grapes were grown on estate vineyards on Ponui Island; superbly fruited and fabulously aromatic, this gorgeous wine shows

"A bold, rich blend of cabernet franc, merlot and malbec, with almost succulent sweet fruit and alcohol giving the wine a smooth texture and making it surprisingly accessible for a complex and powerful red. From the Man O'War's Ponui Island vineyards. Drink 2016 to 2025" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Gourmet Traveller, Jun 2016

"Grapes were grown on estate vineyards on Ponui Island; superbly fruited and fabulously aromatic, this gorgeous wine shows blackberry, dark plum, dark chocolate, cedar and cigar aromas on the nose, followed by a concentrated palate that is richly fruited and velvety. The wine is sumptuous and delicious, and offers terrific fruit power as well as stylish oak infusion. At its best: now to 2023" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Apr 2017

"The 2013 vintage is a classy, generous blend of Cabernet Franc (60 per cent), Merlot (30 per cent) and Malbec (10 per cent), grown on Ponui Island, near Waiheke Island. Hand-harvested at 24.1–26.5 brix and matured for two years in French oak casks (42 per cent new), it is a deeply coloured, robust red (15 per cent alcohol), fragrant, sweet-fruited and supple, with generous red-berry, plum, herb and nut flavours, good complexity and gentle tannins. Highly enjoyable now, it should be at its best 2018+" Michael Cooper, NZ buyer's Guide 2017, Nov 2016

The 2013 Warspite is the third release of this wine. It is very generously proportioned with a supple palate and is densely packed with fine tannins and an abundance of sweet red berry fruit with hints of cooking spice. Approximately 60% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot & 10% Malbec the 2013 Warspite exhibits the wonderful traits of Cabernet Franc dominant wine, that is a wine of density and concentration but firmly anchored in the red berry fruit spectrum typically associated with lighter wine.

One of a new class of “fast” battleships when launched and blessed with a thrilling combination of elegance and power, Warspite is entirely sourced from our Ponui Island vineyards and emulates the graceful power of the Royal Navy’s 'Grand Old Dame'.

Yields were extremely low due to the dry season, but 2013 is rated as Waiheke’s finest vintage to date, delivering fruit of exceptional quality, with the fruit for Warspite being no exception. Grown on the neighbouring Ponui Island where winemakers are required to wait for a favourable tide to pick the Warspite grapes to allow for the equipment and pickers to be taken across to harvest throughout the day. Once completed the fruit is brought back in on the incoming tide and processed throughout the night to make the bins available for the follow days picking. After gentle de-stemming the grapes underwent a ‘wild’ fermentation in the vat and spent 30 days on skins with gentle plunging or pumping over of together to form the blend and aged in barrel for 24 months before bottling.