Wine Bottles on Shelf

Welcome to Howard Park

Laura on 27 Mar 2014

By Angela Mount

Howard Park is an iconic name in Western Australia’s wine history. Founded back in 1986 by Jeff and Amy Burch, it’s now the largest family owned, boutique winery in Western Australia, and is producing handcrafterd, exquisite wines from its two sites, with vineyards both in Margaret River and the Great Southern.

Western Australia is an entirely different proposition to the vineyards of Southern Australia, both in terms of soil, and most importantly, climate.  With much of the vineyard land situated close to the Southern Ocean , the weather is far more continental, with abundant sunshine in summer, but with chilly nights, and bitterly cold winters. Jeff Burch purchased an old sheep farm in 1986, and fuelled by his fascination with wine, began its redevelopment into vineyards and subsequently first one, then a second winery.

The Howard Park vineyards are located in two places, both with authentic, aboriginal names – the Leston vineyard, named after Jeff’s father, in the Wilyabrup Valley, in the heart of Margaret River, and Great Barrow and Gibraltar Rock, in  the Porongurup Ranges. Both vineyards are situated high above sea level, with the latter some of the very highest in the whole of Western Australia.

In these scenic ranges, Howard Park produces world class wines, which benefit from the cooler climate of this part of Australia. Jeff and Amy, together with their 3 children, who are also involved in the business are passionate about growing exactly the best grape variety for each particular micro-climate and soil type; their vineyards are clearly definedand classified by variety. The family has a simply stated ethos, encapsulated in a quote from Jeff: ‘’We have a simple philosophy;premium wine can only come from excellent fruit. Simply,we go to wherever the fruit grows best.’.

I tasted a selection of the wines as they arrived into the welcoming arms of the Great Western Wine team’s offices.  Howard Park Great Southern Riesling 2011, is grown high up on the hills of Mount Barrow in the Porongurup ranges, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world.  Benefitting from the high altitude and cool climate, but also with a couple of years ageing, it’s a glorious, racy delight, full of lovely, rich, honeyed Riesling splendour , yet with a lime-fresh zestiness and racy acidity.  I have not yet tasted their other flagship white, the Howard Park Miamup Chardonnay 2013, but it’s a carefully crafted, opulent, yet restrained white, with judicious oak treatment to enhance depth and complexity.

The majority of the reds are produced from the Leston vineyard in the original site of Margaret River. The Howard Park Leston Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 is a big, yet supremely poised red, with intense blackcurrant and mint character, mingled in with cedary oak, and with a ripe, mature complexity;plush and elegant. The Howard Park Leston Shiraz 2009 is far bolder species, with aromas of figs, black pepper, forest fruits and mocha, with similarly rich, intense flavours – dense and brooding, it has an atmospheric richness and majesty, with great style and concentration.

The final wine I tasted was the impressive flagship that is the Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 – a supermodel, a thoroughbred, which encapsulates the entire ethos of this passionate family business. A blend of fruit from both vineyards, this is a consummate piece of artistry in terms of growing and winemaking – dark, sensuous and opulent, yet precise and reined-in. It’s only just beginning to show its true personality, leaving tasters wanting to go back again and again., for its abundant richness of dark, currant fruit, minty freshness and textured oak character.  Beautiful and poised.Measured, ripe, and supremely elegant.

 

Quietly and elegantly impressive, these wines are well worth exploring.