2002 Howard Park Leston Shiraz Tasting Notes

2002 was a classical vintage in the South-West of Western Australia. A generally cooler vintage than 2001, it resulted in wines of greater elegance and fine tannin. The wines demonstrate cool climate spices and herbal characters rather than overt fruit.
This wine is sourced entirely from Howard Park’s Leston Vineyard in Margaret River. Vineyard management is given extraordinary attention; canopy management is designed to maximise fruit exposure to the sunlight and yields are low to achieve concentration in the grapes. The grapes are harvested according to flavour with little regard for analytical data. Fermentation occurs in open topped stainless steel tanks with highly aerative pumpovers that are integral in tannin development. At completion of fermentation, the Shiraz is pressed off into French oak barriques of which about 60% are new, the balance being 1 year old. The wine was matured in the barrel for approximately 18 months. There was minimal fining and filtration performed.

The Shiraz from Block 4 of the Howard Park Leston vineyard appears to have quickly asserted its personality. Since the first release of this wine in 1999, the Leston Shiraz has consistently demonstrated concentrated ripe plum and fruitcake-like aromas and flavours, mouth filling sweetness of fruit and a full ripe tannin profile. The 2002 Leston Shiraz continues this style, with perhaps a degree of greater textural complexity derived from the cooler growing conditions of 2002 and the ever-increasing age of the vines.

Considerable ageing potential.