Review: Howard Jeté Grand Vintage 2017

November 11, 2022

The Burch family at Howard Park are dead serious about sparkling wine, with this the latest output from their fizz journey.

Fascinating.

Making premium sparkling in Australia seems like a thankless gig – once you start to get to the pointy end (ie >$50), most drinkers just want Champagne. Making it from WA just makes it harder (which doesn’t have the fizz reputation of Tassie or the Yarra/Adelaide Hills/Macedon etc).

Anyway, this Pinot Chardonnay comes from the Mount Barrow vineyard in Mount Barker, and spends 54 months on lees. Smells it too – all leesy custard autolysis dominates the nose with a smack bang impact. Promise! Yet the palate doesn’t match – all tight lemon juice with some toasty bits at the edges, and the acid feels like a citrus hit rather than shaping the finish.

In other words, lots of promise here, and it’s plenty fresh enough, but the palate just doesn’t match what the nose lays out.

Best drinking: nowish. 17.5/20, 91/100. 12%, $54. Howard Park website. Would I buy it? A glass or two.

2017, Mount Barker, Pinot Chardonnay + blends, Sparkling

Andrew Graham was once voted the 23rd most trusted wine critic on the planet. A WCA Journalism Young Gun now old hack with 25yrs as a buyer, judge, journalist, marketer and too much more.

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2 responses to “Review: Howard Jeté Grand Vintage 2017”

Peter Hook

November 11, 2022 at 1:17 pm

That’s a very derceptive – and depressing – comment on sparkling wine buyers in Australia. I get so depressed at parties of affluent/effluent folks, the only currency is French. Never Mind The Quality…Just Note It’s French could be the saying, when in fact so much French fizz is vin ordinaire. I try and push Arras, Clover Hill, Croser – especially the vintage versions – but it’s a losing war. I’d love to know the production cost of most NV champagnes, because I’m sure it is very low. I feel Aussies see Champagne in a diametrically opposite way they view Jacob’s Creek. The latter was once a guarantee of a good wine that you would never be ashamed of, but now the Mosman, Toorak, Manuka, Subiaco and Unley Park crowds would throw you out if you brought along a Jacob’s Creek wine, even if it was the magnificent 2016 Expedition Cabernet @ $90 a bottle. We have an image problem with Australian sparkling that needs to be fixed. Interestingly, the UK is producing outstanding sparkling wines currently, and I noticed that at the end of Test matches, instead of the winning team receiving a magnum of champagne they are now getting a magnum of Chapel Down Brut – and rather than spraying the French fizz all over the turf, I’m hoping the English actually drank this gorgeous drop. If the Poms are proud of their sparkling, why shouldn’t Aussies?

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Andrew Graham

November 11, 2022 at 1:23 pm

It’s a sad reality that Australians won’t fork out for premium local sparkling. Tyson ran the numbers in his Champagne report a few years back (I’ll try and find it) which showed a dramatic drop off for anything in the Champagne price bracket. As you point out, we should be more parochial, as local fizz is often better vfm (especially compared to mass market NV Champagne).

Oh and English fizz is excellent for what it is worth, so I’d be happy with a Chapel Down to celebrate!

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