Our winemaking team has been very pleased with the 2008 vintage, boasting an elegant range of whites and some of the best reds ever seen in the Margaret River region. Please read on to get an insight into the vintage specifics as told by Senior Winemaker, Tony Davis.
On 14th May 2008, Senior Winemaker Tony Davis had this to say about the overall 2008 vintage:
Please describe, in summary, the weather conditions in your region throughout this harvest/vintage:
During the growing season, we had reasonable winter rainfall and some frost that reduced the crop levels during spring. Good even conditions and a fairly warm end of February and early March led to our white grapes coming in quickly. After that, we had the ideal vintage conditions for the reds, with some of the best reds ever seen in the Margaret River region.
Overall, what is your evaluation of the 2008 vintage with regards to your wines?
2008 was a very good year. The whites will be elegant and will cellar very well, particularly Riesling. The reds are showing outstanding fruit richness and ripe tannin structures and they will drink great early on, but will be very long-lived.
On 11th March 2008, Senior Winemaker Tony Davis had this to say about the outlook for Howard Park Wines for the 2008 vintage:
How is the 2008 vintage shaping up?
At the moment it is fast and hard, with everything starting to come in at once. The whites are nearly all picked, with only the Porongorup fruit left to come in and the reds are just about to start coming in. Good flavours are being shown at low baume’s, meaning the whites will have very good acid retention and will show above average length and finesse. Acidity levels are looking to be higher than average this vintage.
What are your first impressions on the 2008 Howard Park Riesling?
Thanks to a long and moderate ripening period, we have seen Riesling with good flavour development at 9 & 10 baume. The result should be a fine, delicate and limey Riesling with good acidity, length and an alcohol level of about 11.5%. The 2008 Riesling is expected to deliver above average ageing potential.
Which areas are presenting the best Riesling fruit this vintage?
Riesling is looking good all across the Great Southern region. Fruit from Mount Barker is being processed as we speak and fruit from the Porongurups is a little over a week away.
What are your first impressions on the 2008 Howard Park Sauvignon Blanc?
The 2008 Sauvignon Blanc is also looking great thanks to a long and slow ripening period. Expect crisp and clean flavours, especially from the Pemberton and southern Margaret River fruit, which will be blended with fruit from Frankland River, showing riper tropical fruit characters.
What are your first impressions on the 2008 Howard Park Chardonnay?
We are looking forward to an outstanding 2008 Chardonnay. Once again, the long and slow ripening is the key, giving us a combination of powerful fruit characters and acidity which will give the wine great structure and length. Barrel fermentation, some wild yeast ferments and whole bunch pressing will allow us to build extra interest and complexity.
Are you handling the fruit any differently this year?
We have some new sorting equipment and elevators in our Denmark winery this vintage. We also have a draining receiving bin which will enable quicker separation of the juice from the skins. This will result in less phenolic pick up in all the Riesling.
How are the yields looking relative to previous years?
We had a cold snap in spring which affected fruit set in some areas. The result being a lighter fruit set, and therefore lower yields. Compared to 2007, the yields are slightly higher, but 2008 yields are still below average.
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