2003 Howard Park Leston Shiraz Tasting Notes

This wine is sourced from only the highest regarded vineyards and is given extraordinary attention in the vineyard. 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 60% are new, the balance being one year old. This wine was matured in the barrel for approximately 18 months. There was minimal fining and filtration performed.

This is the fifth Howard Park Leston shiraz released and is, I believe, the most complete wine produced so far from Block 4 on the Leston Vineyard in Willyabrup. The Leston Shiraz has consistently demonstrated concentrated ripe plum and fruit cake-like aromas and flavours but the 2003 vintage has greater depth of fruit than previously seen as well as some more complex flavour profiles of truffles and praline. The wine’s attributes are predominantly the pure expressions of primary fruit characters on both the nose and palate as well as the full fleshy nature of the mid palate.

Considerable ageing potential.