A dive into Howard Park’s past to present with Nat Burch & Nic Bowen

Verticals are fascinating things.

For some wines, they show vineyard or winery progressions, as styles and seasons shape how the fermented grape juice tastes.

But the story behind the Howard Park verticals that Nat Burch & Nic Bowen delivered over dinner in Sydney recently was not really about wine – it was about people. The stories below, delivered with a smile by the entertaining Nat Burch, describe how the hands of a Chief Winemaker can shape a whole winery’s reputation.

And Howard Park has quite a reputation.

From the earliest days with John Wade at the helm to the contemporary face with the young (well, younger than me) Nic Bowen calling the shots, this is one of the enduring premium wine names of Western Australian wine…

The John Wade era

It all started in the mid-80s when John Wade was lured from a plum post at Wynns Coonawarra to Plantagenet in Mount Barker, WA. Wade, not content to just make wines for his masters, crafted a Riesling and a Cabernet (in 1986) from Great Southern fruit, naming the wines ‘Howard Park’ after his father.

It wasn’t until 1992 that the Burch family became involved, with Jeff Burch – himself the owner of a 138-hectare property at Wilyabrup that became the Leston Vineyard – entering into a partnership with Wade.

Given the partnership, it’s probably unsurprising that Howard Park became focused on multi-regional WA blends. But Great Southern, for so long, remained the spiritual heartland and so often delivers the most charismatic Howard Park releases.

Wade himself is an interesting guy. As Burch describes, ‘Wade was very secretive – he kept no notes and would often come in on the weekend’. However, his detailed winemaking style arguably delivered the most distinctive wines in Howard Park history. Let’s have a squizz at some wines (with notes as written on the night).

Howard Park Riesling 1992

Mount Barker fruit here. Yellow gold, even in the low light of dinner. Full golden toast on the nose – it’s a biscuity wine with a side of mothball. It’s a wine of increasing diffuse notes – toasted nuts, cardboard, and lanolin. It gets a bit blah to finish, but still interesting in a dusted toast mode. Drink up. 16.8/20, 89/100.

Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon 1989

All Great Southern fruit here, too. Spends an astonishing 25 months in new French oak. Lots of life left too. Cedar and bay leaf and pencil shavings. Rather dry palate is so alive, so pencilly, and a bit leafy. Sticky tannins drive the whole thing. There’s a definite air of mint leaf. Hardly fully bodied, but man, what life. This is so alive and maybe minty but driven by detailed fruit and powdery tannins. 18.5/20, 94/100.

Michael Kerrigan era

From plastic bag salesman to vineyard manager, Kerrigan had an eccentric backstory. As Burch notes, ‘Michael had a very different winemaking approach. He was guided by science’ – which is something of a contrast to the more feel-focussed John Wade. Interestingly, Michael travelled between Great Southern and Margaret River as they had two wineries at the time – that’s a lot of hours in the car. Michael believed his Riesling should be as tight as possible and not be drunk for ten years. Apparently, he is a big fan of micro-ox and French oak to deliver approaching drinks.

Howard Park Riesling 2006

Still so tightly formed despite the age. Green straw. A tiny bit of kerosene. But there remains greenness in this wine – green banana and lemongrass. It’s a muted white, still delicate and lemony and backward. This lacks a bit of pleasure, to be honest – a grippy and firm sort of thing with just a little toast. Long though. 17/20, 90/100.

Howard Park Scotsdale Shiraz 2004

Plenty in this Great Southern red. Oak is still a big player here (60% new, 40% one-year-old oak for 18 months), fleshing out the mid palate. A little brick dust and oak tannins, cedar and dark berries. It’s a bit dried out, but certainly powerful. There’s an interesting black olive note, but I don’t think it has the flesh for that oak, despite the mid-palate power. Definitely has presence, but I wonder if the tannins aren’t ripe and generous enough (still). 17.5/20, 91/100.

Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

71% Great Southern. 29% Margaret River fruit. 100% new French oak for 25 months. Much more expressive – cassis, seaweed, a little brackish hedgerow varietal. A bit of a hard wine again – oak is everywhere, with dark berries, cedar, formic oak (and then oak tannins). Compressed and extractive, with this ‘flagship’ power, even if it feels a bit overt and lumpy. 17.5/20, 91/100.

Tony Davis era

Davis was ex-Jansz & Plantagenet, just for a bit of full-circle context. Notably, Tony Davis started the Jeté sparkling range and was party to a lot of change, including the Marchand & Burch project and and establishment of the Mount Barrow Vineyard. Winery capacity also increased dramatically during this time with contract winemaking. They even tried hand berry sorting with a team of 10. That lasted two days…

Howard Park Porongurup Riesling 2010

Sample 1. Kerosene, a little baby sick, a bit sweaty and awkward. It’s a sour and backward thing that perhaps was a bit reduced. Awkward wine. I didn’t like this much. 16/20, 87/100.

Sample 2 repour. Much better. Lemon and a fresh, lightly buttered lime character that is quite classic. The chewy palate is long! Grapefruit and lemongrass. Great tang. 17.7/20, 92/100.

Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

60/40 Great Southern/Margaret River fruit.. 70% new and 30% one-year-old oak. Quite grandiose. A big mouthful of wine. There is a little leafiness but also this ocean of polished dark berry fruit. Very polished but a bit round and blocky too. Aggressively chewy finish. A rather made wine, though excellent power – it’s long and still very youthful. Will the tannins round off? Power, if not grace. 17.7/20, 92/100.

Janice McDonald era

Janice joined in 2011. The Allingham Vineyard in Margaret River was bought during this time and a big focus on Chardonnay. A big difference in the style here – more detailed wines.

Howard Park Grand Jeté Sparkling 2017

Pinot-dominant Great Southern sparkling. Spends 48 months on lees. Off two parcels of fruit on Mount Barrow. Has some barrel ferment parcels. Full nose. Marzipan and vanilla. It’s a big, chunky, leesy nutty thing with a riot of sweet and sour oatmeal cream. It’s grower Chamagne-esque but from WA. Not quite the profundity of great Champagne, but gee, there is a lot of flavour here, to the point of cream cheesiness. I like the sweet and sour contrasts, a cheesy, waxy, leesy indulgence of a sparkling wine. It doesn’t have enough delicacy to be truly profound, but what a mouthful. I really like it. Wish the acidity wasn’t quite as lemony, but a wonderful wine. 17.7/20, 92/100.

Howard Park Allingham Chardonnay 2013

From the Allingham Vineyard in Karridale. Lees stirring, partial malo, 11 months in barrel. Partial malo. Cheese and toast. Toasted nuts and reductive funk, but the acidity is still chalky. This feels so complex on the nose, but I wonder if it’s a bit ungenerous on the finish. Still very youthful and classy, though. A really interesting wine. I wish it was a bit more generous on the middle, but such class. 18/20, 93/100.

Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

81% Great Southern, the rest Margaret River fruit.. 18 months in barrel. Quite dark. A sort of ashen edge to the nose. Excellent fine tannins, though. A layer of ash and gum leaf rather than primary fruit. Excellent tannins Excellent. It’s a transitional wine. Palate balance tips it higher. 18/20, 93/100.

Nic Bowen era

Bowen is the current Chief Winemaker and made a name ex Reynalla under Ed Carr, then Chief Winemaker at Hardys Tintara.

Howard Park Jeté Sparkling Rosé 2019

Mount Barker fruit. 33 months on lees. 3.2/g/L dosage. You can see the creamy barrel character here. It’s rather chunky, really. The finish gets a bit tinny – I wonder if it might have needed more dosage. I really like the nose; just wish the bony palate was a bit more generous. 17.5/30, 91/100.

Howard Park Jeté en Pointe Pinot Meunier 2021

Sparkling wine that spent 18 months on lees. From a single parcel of Meunier in Great Southern planted five years earlier. No grand Jeté in 2021. Hand disgorged and hand riddled! The fizz is a bit light ( hello hand disgorged). Appley and varietal. Very youthful and a smidgen herbal. Quite joyous. More like table wine than true fizz, but this has direction. Feels rather lo-fi. There’s a liveliness of red fruit which is quite appealing. 17.5/20, 91/100.

Howard Park Arbor Novae Chenin Blanc 2022

Margaret River fruit. Joyous again, lots of easy pear fruit. A little sour. Lots of pear. A good example of varietal Chenin if a little simple. The acidity is a bit grey and grippy. Cellar door fave, even if it needs a bit more for higher points. 16.8/20, 89/100.

Howard Park Museum Release Riesling 2014

Not made by Nic, but released during his time. From Mount Barker & Porongurup grapes. Definitely advanced with petro-TDN nose. Powerful palate, though. It’s rather sour and limey. Would love more palate weight, but no doubting the length. 17.5/20, 91/100.

Howard Park Allingham Chardonnay 2022

Toasty pineapple nose, it’s a juicy sort of thing for the moment – extra layers compared to the basic Chardonnay. Wish it was less pineappley. Such a classy palate below the surface – creamed apple delicacy. I can see the future, and it is very bright. 18.5/20, 94/100.

Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Tank sample, about to go to glass. 1/3rd new, 1/3rd 2nd use, 1/3rd 3rd use oak. All Margaret River fruit. ‘A fantastic vintage for making Cabernet with no heatwaves, no bird pressure. It was a real luxury’ according to Nic Bowen. Aiming for no extra extraction and a gentler touch, Very youthful and finessed. Such joy! Great to see a sense of vibrancy. 18.5/20, 94/100

Howard Park Great Southern Riesling 2022

Porongurup & Mount Barker fruit. Juicy and a bit sherbety. Peach and melon, it’s rather open with grapefruity acidity. Affable juicy wine of good length. Maybe a bit plump, but enjoyable drinking. 17.7/20, 92/100.

A side note: Nat Burch’s first job in wine was at Cullen, where she worked in the restaurant cutting bread and netting. Di Cullen paid her with a bottle of the Cabernet Merlot for one week’s work.

Howard Park Scotsdale Shiraz 2022

From a vineyard at Frankland River. Lovely plump and plummy boysenberry thing. It’s only mid-weight, with notes of blackberry, light tannins and rather pretty. It’s just a little simple – berried and pretty, needing a little more tannins. Lovely drink, though, and so polished! 18/20, 93/100.

Higher Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Finished off by Nic. Mainly Great Southern fruit. Big and bold thing. Lots of dark cassis fruit in a very smooth and mouthfilling, seamless palate. It’s just a bit round and warm at the edges – I want just a little more detail, but the tannins are just excellent – finessed and succulent. Just a bit warm. Lovely, though in a mouthfilling mode. 18.5/20, 94/100.