TN: Howard Park Great Southern Chardonnay 2012

[Waiters Friend]

The last TN for this wine that I can find is from a vertical held in 2017. Six years ago, this was the call:

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.

Opened my last bottle of this wine tonight. The colour is surprisingly youthful for an 11 year old wine, at a medium yellow. The nose is showing grapefruit, toasty oak, rockmelon, savoury notes and developed stone fruits. The palate retains some of the creaminess noted six years ago, with more developed and very ripe peaches and a slight citrus tang. Oak is still present but, like the acid, has pretty well integrated into the wine.

I will admit I opened this with a bit of trepidation (that it might be past it). It's still sound and enjoyable drinking, and may plateau for a little longer. Unlikely to improve however. I'm glad I got to it now.

Cheers
Allan