WineNZ Summer 2019-20

Feature | Waiiheke
summer it swarms with holiday
makers but most of the people
you will see relaxing on the
beach with a bottle of wine to
accompany their picnic have not
made the tortuous route by car.
The boats from which they
come are anchored in the bay!
In contrast to the large
number of individual vineyards
the number of Man O’ War
wines is relatively limited as the
different sites are blended. The
‘Ironclad’ Bordeaux blend has
more than 29 components and
Syrah is blended at two levels.
Chardonnay also features at
two levels. Interestingly the
Sauvignon Blanc is blended with
25% of Semillon, unusual for New
Zealand’s take on this variety.
MAN O’ WAR
WINE pROFILES:
Gravestone Sauvignon
Blanc / Semillon 2017
- $29
This wine represents an unusual
direction for this variety with the
inclusion of almost 25% Semillon,
a common occurrence in France
but not in NZ. Picked at very low
levels, just 2 tonnes per ha it’s
barrel fermented and aged for
2 years in oak. “It’s the biggest
surprise for our customer” Duncan
reports, “Herbaceous and crisp.”
The tasting notes refer to a ‘gin
and tonic like finish!’
Dreadnought Syrah
2016 - $64
Again this wine is from a large
number of steep imposing sites,
all with equally imposing names,
such as ‘Asylum’,‘Big North’,
‘Madmans’‘and North Face’;
sites which have been dry farmed
to increase resistance to drought.
The individual batches have
been separately vinified with
wild yeasts and held on oak for
18months before blending.
“We like to think of it as richly
textured but restrained and with a
streak of acidity.”
Man O’ War wines are available
online www.manowar.co.nz
GOLDIE ESTATE
– HERITAGE
WINE
I always like circular stories;
where the end relates directly
to the beginning. The sort of
thing where super sportsmen or
women, when the medals dry
up, end up coaching the high
school team that jump-started
their career.
Goldie Estate on Waiheke is a
good example of the process,
except in this case it is the land
that ends up returning to its roots.
Too often in New Zealand we
seem to sell our special pieces
of land, especially if they have
stunning views, to American
steel barons or narcissistic pop
stars. Or we just cover them with
housing developments and car
parks.
Such might have been the fate
12 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2019/2020