HOWARD PARK CHARDONNAY TASTING 15 March 2017

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

I’d been talking for a while about the growing vertical collection of Howard Park Chardonnay in my cellar. I finally bit the bullet and arranged the vertical tasting.

In this, I was strongly supported by David Stredwick of Burch Family wines, who provided winemaking notes and technical information (which was presented as a package to attendees). David also generously provided some wines to ‘fill the gaps’ in my Howard Park vertical, as well as additional wines from the super-premium ‘Allingham’ label. Finally, David was able to join us for the tasting, providing us with insights into the company’s winemaking philosophies and trends. I’m very grateful to David for his considerable support for this tasting.

Howard Park originated in Denmark in the Great Southern region, and was established by John Wade (of Wynn’s John Riddoch fame) in 1986. The Burch family became involved around 1989, and Howard Park is now part of Burch Family Wines. Howard Park’s cellar door and winemaking operations are now based at an impressive facility in Margaret River, processing fruit from Mount Barker / Great Southern, Porongurups as well as Margaret River. I’ve been a fan of their Riesling for many years and we held a vertical tasting 2 years ago (see viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14531&p=123836&hilit=howard+park+riesling#p123824 )


We tasted 10 years of Howard Park Chardonnays from 2016 to 2007. Before I get into the group’s tasting notes, I’ll mention a couple of observations about the wines generally:

1. For all 10 wines, the tasting group was surprised at their youthful appearances. They ranged in colour from almost transparent straw through to a very light yellow in the 2007, and in some cases, change was indistinguishable from year to year.
2. Alcohols ranged from 12.6% to 13.6%, with the average exactly in the middle (13.1%). This is fractionally lower than many Western Australian chardonnays, and in my opinion contributes to their elegance.
3. Chardonnay fruit for these wines is sourced from Great Southern and Margaret River regions, in different ratios according to vintage. Some vintages also included Porongurup fruit (part of GS, I know). The percentage of Margaret River fruit has increased over time, but not necessarily as a linear trend.
4. The wines have become technically drier in recent years. Earlier vintages retained around 3g/L residual sugar, whereas the last 4 have all been under 1g/L.
5. Three winemakers have overseen the making of these wines. Michael Kerrigan made the 2007, Tony Davis made 2008-10, and Janice McDonald assumed the reins from 2011 onwards. Incidentally, the first Howard Park chardonnay was produced in 1993.

As usual, the tasting notes are a compilation of comments from the tasting group – and this is my disclaimer for any apparent contradictions! 12 of us were present, and conversation was lively. The wines were presented from youngest to oldest, in three brackets (2016-2013, 2012-2010, and 2009-2007).

2016 Howard Park Chardonnay (Mt Barker 46%, Margaret River 54%, 13.0% alc). Bottled in December 2016 and not yet released, this is a very pale straw colour. The nose starts off with some cedary oak, and quickly leads into primary fruit, with grapefruit, citrus, nectarine and honeydew melon. There’s also some lime zest and white flowers. A couple of tasters noted that the nose is lively, with the fruit ‘jumping out of the glass’. The palate shows good fruit weight, and supporting zingy acid (one taster commented on a slight spritz). There’s a little tannic grip from the oak, and the wine finishes long. The group considers this to be quite tight at the moment, but is looking very good for drinking in a year or so.


2015 Howard Park Chardonnay (Great Southern 84.3%, Margaret River 15.7%, 13.1% alc). Like the 2016, this is a very pale straw colour. On the nose, the oak is almost sherbet-like. There’s yellow peach, lemon, figs and citrus generally dominate the nose, along with some bread dough and flintiness. The palate again shows figs, caramel, spicy oak and prominent acidity, leading to a clean and reasonably long finish. This was also considered to be tight, and should open up more over the coming year.

2014 Howard Park Chardonnay (Mt Barker 65%, Margaret River 23%, Porongurup 13%, 12.7% alc). Similar colour to the earlier wines. White peach, pink grapefruit, and hints of butter sat alongside toasted cashews and warmed grains. The palate is richer and more mouth-filling compared to the earlier vintages, and the group considered this to be ready to drink now – it’s juicy (one taster stated “it makes you salivate”) and carrying some palate weight. Lovely length and just starting to show faint signs of development.

2013 Howard Park Chardonnay (Great Southern 60.9%, Margaret River 39.1%, 12.8% alc). Only slightly darker than the first three wines, and still very much in the pale straw spectrum. It shows more of the fleshy peach characters, along with melon, stonefruit, a hint of struck match, and one taster got “toasted banana bread”. The palate is layered, with creaminess, toast, some salted caramel, roasted marshmallow, and notable viscosity compared to the surrounding wines. One taster noted that she had “died and gone to heaven”, however opinion was divided – it was either your favourite wine of these four or out of kilter with the rest. It’s developed at a different pace than the previous wines (and indeed, a couple following).

2012 Howard Park Chardonnay (Porongurup 45%, Mount Barker 40%, Margaret River 15%, 13.3% alc). The colour is just starting to darken very slightly, and we’re now into very pale yellow. We’re also starting to see the first stages of bottle development. The nose is nutty, bready, with toasted grains, vanilla, stonefruit, melons (honeydew and rockmelon), yellow peach, and interestingly, some jasmine blossom. The palate shows a very good balance of fleshy peach, spicy oak, almost zingy acid, and creaminess. The word “integrated” was heard a few times, and seems appropriate.

2011 Howard Park Chardonnay (Margaret River 46.5%, Denmark 37.7%, Mount Barker 9.9%, Porongurup 5.9%, 12.6% alc). Again, the palest of yellow in colour. Lots of fruit on the nose, with honeysuckle, nectarine, grapefruit and vanilla all layered through. The palate was described as “everything in there” – spicy oak, zippy acid followed by a creamy texture, superb balance of all the elements. This wine received strong support from the group, with two tasters describing it as “divine!”.

2010 Howard Park Chardonnay (85.7% Great Southern, 14.3% Margaret River, 13.6% alc). Just yellow in colour. Development is starting to be more prominent, with stewed ripe peaches on the nose. Comments of brioche, dough and tortilla were heard, along with one taster noting dried banana chips. This is bigger and richer than previous wines, with a full mid-palate and slight alcohol heat.

2009 Howard Park Chardonnay (86.7% Great Southern, 13.3% Margaret River, 13.0% alc). Also just yellow in colour. Developed and stewed peach, stonefruit, some apricot and quince paste, alongside savoury oak and a slight cheesy note. Acid is prominent on the palate, with the mid-palate noted as ‘flat’, some alcohol heat and a shorter than average finish. It was noted that this wine underwent no malolactic fermentation. One taster believed this would be a better wine with food.

2008 Howard Park Chardonnay (60.57% Great Southern, 39.44% Margaret River, 13.3% alc). Light yellow. Fruit is still developing here, with peach, cumquat and quince paste, alongside nutty savoury notes. The palate is slightly yeasty, with good balance of acid, tannic grip and fruit sweetness. Opinion was that this wine shows it “all coming together”, and if you like developed aged Chardonnay, this probably showed it best. Lots of support for this wine, from an excellent vintage.

2007 Howard Park Chardonnay (86% Great Southern, 14% Margaret River, 13.4% alc). Light yellow in colour – as mentioned before, the colour is amazingly youthful for a 10 year old wine. The nose shows a lovely mix of developing fruit, savoury oak, and one taster spotted buttermilk. The savouriness dominates the palate, where the fruit is just starting to drop out – the biggest hint so far of ageing potential. It’s almost as good as the 2008, and perhaps the extra year’s age is the difference. Still entirely drinkable now, and we did.

It’s interesting that the tasting notes for these wines (on release) stated ageing estimates of 5-8 years. These are definitely conservative – none of the 10 wines tasted were ‘past it’ and almost all are still developing slowly and gracefully. The 2013 and 2010 (and, to a lesser extent 2009) were the only wines that showed development out of alignment with the surrounding vintages. The 2011 was the tasting group’s choice as wine of the night, with the 2008 and 2014 being highly preferred also. It was commented that these are all good wines, which we would all be happy to drink on their own, and it’s only the comparison with other vintages that elevates some wines above others. It was certainly a fabulous collection of chardonnay. …..

… and then it got better. Howard Park’s Allingham Chardonnays are a recent addition to the portfolio, and to date only the 2011, 2013 and 2015 vintages have been released. We had them all for this tasting. As the flagship chardonnay, they see a higher percentage of new oak, and it’s interesting that the most recent is the first Howard Park chardonnay to feature 100% Margaret River fruit, some of which comes from a vineyard of the same name. Howard Park’s Margaret River chardonnay vineyards are at the southern end of the region, in Warner Glen/Forest Grove.

2015 Howard Park Allingham Chardonnay (Margaret River 100%, 12.7% alc). Very pale yellow / straw. Lots of primary fruit initially, with peach, nectarine and other stone fruits (and star fruit, noted by one taster), lychee, pineapple, and some florals. There’s also a mineral aspect to the wine, with “wet stone” noted. The palate is complex, with creamy oak, fruit richness, a good line of acid and considerable length. It’s still a little subtle and closed at the moment, and needs time, but the balance is there.

2013 Howard Park Allingham Chardonnay (Margaret River 80%, Mount Barker 20%, 12.8% alc). Straw colour. A rich vibrant nose, with the aforementioned ripe stone fruits, “freshly torched crème brulee”, toasty oak and vanilla. The palate was again complex and layered, with fruit richness, creaminess, finger lime, lemon curd, and considerable length and palate weight. There’s the early signs of development, merely adding to the complexity. This wine was strongly favoured by the group, with comments like “no rough edges” and “it’s got everything”.

2011 Howard Park Allingham Chardonnay (Mount Barker 52.6%, Margaret River 32.1%, Porongurup 13.5%, Denmark 1.8%, 12.7% alc). Light yellow in colour. Prominent lemon and citrus over toasty oak, bread dough and butter. The lemon flows through the palate also, with zippy acid. The oak has been integrated into the wine where it provides subtle support on the palate. Elegant.


As a final touch, David then produced a magnum of the 1997 Howard Park Chardonnay. Deep gold in colour (in contrast to the previous 13 wines), but no sign of browning, and still bright. The nose showed some sherry like characters (not surprising in a 20 year old chardonnay), some orange rind, crème brulee, and one taster detected brine. The palate is buttery, with surprising sweetness from marmalade-like fruit. It’s mellow but held up by a nice lick of acid. No longer at its peak, but an interesting curio regardless, and we are grateful to David for this generous gift.

This was a superb tasting of one of Western Australia’s consistently top chardonnays, and I am sure the group enjoyed the experience immensely. It was especially interesting to observe the gradual development as the vintages ticked over, and that’s the value of these vertical tastings.

My sincere thanks again to David Stredwick and Burch Family Wines – their generosity and involvement certainly enhanced the experience, and it is greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Allan

[Mike Hawkins]

Nice one... I really The 2015 release. I've never met David but we have spoken by phone a handful of times. Seems like a great guy.

[paulf]

That would have been a fantastic tasting, and I don't even drink much Chardonnay. A good advertisement for screw cap too.