Howard Park

At our last stop, we tried quite a number of wines.

The 2008 Howard Park Riesling is a pleasant surprise. It has quite strong citrus flavours, is very vibrant and has a dry crisp finish. The way I like my Riesling. The 06 Chardonnay was not as good. It is a bit oaky and there are simply better ones around.

Then we tried the regional wines on offer. The Leston wines (Shiraz and Cabernet) had minty flavours, a component I am not so keen on, but otherwise are well made, the Cabernet quite savoury and with a dry tannic finish. The o5 Scottsdale Shiraz was probably the pick of this trio with darker and more powerful fruit and a long finish.

The best wine was their flagship, the 2002 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot. It tasted of forest berries, soft and silky, with a mild tannic finish. It probably had a bit of a gap at the mid palate, but overall a very good wine.

Phew! My tasting in WA has come to an end!