It’s early days for Howard Park’s venture into sparkling wines. They’re sourcing their grapes from the Great Southern region – Mount Barker in this case. Base wines are fermented in both stainless steel and used French oak. 98% Pinot Noir with a dash of Chardonnay. Eighteen months on lees and eight grams per litre residual sugar.
Rather primary and fruit sweet. Puff pastry notes in the background with strawberries and raspberries front and centre. Good flow, a bit of carry and no clumsy phenolics. Not much in the way of complexity but enjoyable nonetheless. 89
Region: Great Southern
Alcohol: 12.0%
Closure: Cork
Price: $34
Tasted: February 2014
This used to be great, maybe 92-93. Had a bottle the other day and thought it to be about 88 at best.
This was the first time I’d tasted it Jesse, along with the Jeté Brut 2009 and the Blanc de Blancs NV. I wasn’t familiar with either of the NVs’ history although I know the vintage model was the first of its kind.