Awards and Accolades

97 Points - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion
"From the near-40yo estate vineyard at Mount Barker; separate lots were either pressed at dryness or given post-ferment maceration, and kept separate during 20 months maturation in French oak (40% new). Picture perfect, not a hair out of place as the blackcurrant fruit, a touch of black olive and cedary oak flows seamlessly along the supremely elegant palate."

From the Winery

The Howard Park Distinguished Sites concept is designed to highlight the distinctive regional and site characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from our best vineyard sites in the Margaret River and the Great Southern, the two premier West Australian grape growing regions. The 2012 growing conditions in the south west of Western Australia were, yet again, favourable for the making of great wine. After a winter of just enough rain, the spring to autumn period was continuously warm to hot, dry and characterised by less than average summer precipitation or humidity. An added bonus to the benign harvest conditions was the explosion of native blossom which sated the otherwise grape-loving, resident bird populations. The Mount Barker sub region experienced warm to hot conditions throughout vintage. Hot spells in March magnified the effect of little spring or summer rain. With soil moisture very low, the cooler south facing vineyards did receive some reprieve off the southern ocean. This relief was however limited as the seasonal onshore streams that deliver coastal drizzle and cooler conditions across the region, were weaker than normal. These warmer than average conditions did accelerate ripeness and allowed most varieties to be harvested early.

Fruit for the 2012 Scotsdale Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from our flagship Abercrombie vineyard in Mount Barker. This iconic vineyard has been a fruit source for the very best of our Cabernet based wines since the inception of Howard Park in 1986. Fully mature vines approaching 40 years of age are perfectly attuned to their site and provide a special resource of this noble grape variety which we consider ourselves fortunate to have at our disposal. Low, balanced yields from these old vines ensure that the finished wines express concentrated fruit purity typical of the best Cabernet Sauvignon. Harvest of the Scotsdale Cabernet Sauvignon fruit occurred in late March 2012.

Vinification was conducted in both open and closed stainless steel fermenters with diligent cap management to extract fine fruit tannin and strong varietal flavour. Selected parcels remained on skins post the fermentation to further enhance the tannin profile while others were pressed at dryness to retain fruit vibrancy. After pressing, each batch is retained and managed separately throughout vinification and maturation in order to build a wine history over time. Barrel maturation for 20 months in 40 % new and 60% older French oak barriques allowed for the thorough integration of oak and grape tannins. The wine was blended from a selection of the best batches of the Scotsdale Cabernet Sauvignon. After egg white fining and light filtration, the wine was bottled in February 2014.