The Auswine Forum

G'day

Some readers may remember a vertical of Howard Park Chardonnay that I reported on over a year ago. http://forum.m.auswine.com.au/forum3/viewto ... 67#p140874

Tonight, I am re-looking at the 2014 vintage. Here's the TN from January 2017: "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."

Colour has only darkened very slightly from 2017 and this still looks like a youthful wine. Grapefruit and nectarine are still the first impressions on the nose, with the more savoury elements following. The palate is really singing - a great balance between slightly developing fruit, maybe lemon pith, cleansing acid and slight tannic grip. Excellent length and satisfying mouthfeel.

Certainly one of W.A.'s better chardonnays.

Allan

Three years on from my last note on this wine, and it's now a medium yellow in colour, and still quite bright/ glowing.

Apart from that, it hasn't changed much in three years - the savoury developed characters are slightly more noticeable, but there's still plenty of citrus and stone fruit, and the mouthfeel is still a cross between cleansing acid and grip. This is developing slowly and nicely, and I will try to look at another bottle next year.

Time to have another look at this vintage.

At 10 years of age, it is still medium to deep yellow, with gold tinges.

On the nose, the citrus notes have softened, in favour of nectarine, and accompanied by moderate savoury oak, in roughly equal amounts. The palate continues the mild oak theme, but the citrus re-emerges (grapefruit especially), and is almost tangy. The wine is medium bodied, and acid is helping keep it relatively youthful (for its age).

This is in fine form for a 10 year old, and shows no sign of decline. Not too big and bold, but not watery either - an exercise in elegance, perhaps?

Cheers
Allan