Howard Park Wines

HOWARD PARK: 2018 BEST VINTAGE IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA FOR 25 YEARS

Delivering both high yields and “exceptional” quality fruit, conditions achieved during the 2018 vintage provided “optimum ripening conditions for the fruit, leading to higher bunch weights and more volume per wine,” according to Burch.

“There were positives across all grape varieties including some extraordinary Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon fruit. This is a vintage that wine makers will talk about and will be one for consumers to look out for in coming years,” he said.

“Without weather pressures you can time the pick according to where we want the flavour, acidity and balance to be”.

Winemaker Janice McDonald concurred, noting the results were particularly welcomed in the Great Southern region which had a “tougher 2017 vintage where the quality fruit was in smaller quantities”.

“As the wines evolve over the months and years ahead, 2018 will be heralded as one of the great, Great Southern vintages,” she said.

The first of the 2018 wines will be available to taste later this year, with the whites due to be released first.

In the meantime, Howard Park, which boasts two former professional ballet dancers among its staff members, has announced its official partnership with the WA Ballet.

This year, it will be sponsoring performances of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, due to open at His Majesty’s Theatre in Perth on 16 November.

It will also host the launch party for its ballet-inspired bubbles – the Petit Jeté methode traditionelle sparkling – at the West Australian Ballet Centre in July.

Aurélien Scannella, WAB’s artistic director, commented:  “I’m elated to see a family owned business, Howard Park Wines, become part of West Australian Ballet family.

“The synergies between [both] are undoubtable. Both have a strong history in Western Australia and create beautiful, world-class products”.

David Burch and Lesley Scogna, both siblings of Jeff Burch, are former professional ballet dancers. The Jeté sparkling range produced by the winery is a reference to the ballet term meaning ‘to leap’.

General manager at Howard Park, Natalie Burch added: “Sponsoring West Australian Ballet was such a natural fit for us, and we jumped at the chance. We have loved working with the team so far and are very excited to see the partnership come to fruition, including the Petit Jeté launch later this year.

“The connection to ballet in my family is very important and meaningful. This is a lovely way to recognise that, and though they have taken a different path with wine, we still consider it a creative profession, and we like to honour our ballet heritage where possible”.

Experience Howard Park in this gorgeous new video and learn all things about winemaking, our award-winning viticultural practices, philosophy, family and beautiful scenery of the Margaret River estate.

Howard Park was borne from an ambition to craft wine with generational cellaring potential. The first two wines were produced by founding winemaker, John Wade, who left a prestigious posting in the Coonawarra after seeing enormous promise in the budding Great Southern wine region. John had seen enormous success at Under the Howard Park label, he crafted a Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon to stand the test of time. His friend and fellow wine lover, Jeff Burch, joined in partnership seven years later, purchasing cornerstone land parcels, constructing a winery and cellar door, and entwining his family with Howard Park’s future.

A Three Decade Search for Fruit Perfection

Howard Park had humble beginnings with a visionary winemaker, a shed and two powerful, elegant wines that form the backbone of the range to this day.

The subsequent 30 years were meticulously spent discovering quality fruit producers in both Margaret River and the Great Southern. Over time, the Burch family and their winemaking and viticultural teams built an intellectual database of regions, vineyards, blocks and clones on their hunt for optimal fruit quality.

Today Howard Park is the proud owner of 4 distinct vineyards, each identified for allowing specific fruit varieties to flourish to their full potential.

Growing pristine fruit in two regions will be forever woven into Howard Park history. The duality distinguishes Howard Park from all other Australian wineries, with exceeding acknowledgement on the world stage. No other winery has committed the last 30 years to developing their vital fruit source in the same way.

TIMELINE

1986

• The Howard Park story begins. While working at Plantagenet Wines, John Wade makes a Howard Park Riesling and Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon. He names Howard Park after his father.

1988

• The Burch family purchases a 138-hectare property in Wilyabrup, which will become the Leston vineyard. John Gladstones’ seminal study of the Margaret River had marked this particular property as suitable for growing Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

1993

• Amy and Jeff Burch join John Wade in partnership.

1994

• Release of the first Howard Park Chardonnay, a blend of both Great Southern and Margaret River fruit.

1996

• The historic ‘Park Head’ property in Denmark is purchased to become Howard Park’s first winery and cellar door.
• Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are planted at the Leston vineyard in Margaret River.
• David Burch, Jeff’s brother, joins Howard Park to manage the Leston Vineyard.

1997

• The Denmark winery and cellar door opens.

1998

• John Wade leaves Howard Park and the Burch family take sole control.
• Michael Kerrigan becomes Chief Winemaker.
• Lesley Scogna, Jeff’s sister, joins Howard Park as a Brand Ambassador.

1999

• Release of the Distinguished Sites range with the Scotsdale Cabernet Sauvignon and Leston Shiraz.

2000

• The single vineyard range (which is later renamed as the Distinguished Sites range) is completed with the Scotsdale Shiraz and Leston Cabernet Sauvignon.
• The new Howard Park winery and cellar door opens in Margaret River for the 2000 vintage. Architecturally designed with Feng Shui principles, it wins several awards.
• Another 63 hectares of Cabernet and Chardonnay vines are planted at the Leston vineyard.

2001

• Screwcap trials begin with some batches of Howard Park Riesling, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

2002

• All Howard Park and MadFish wines are bottled under screwcap.

2003

• Release of Howard Park Sauvignon Blanc.

2004

• Purchase of the 200-hectare Mount Barrow vineyard in Mount Barker, Great Southern.
• David Botting joins Howard Park as Chief Viticulturist.

2005

• Several clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are planted at the Mount Barrow vineyard along with Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.
• The 20th vintage of Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon is renamed ‘Abercrombie’ after Jeff’s great grandfather, Walter Abercrombie.
• Natalie Burch, Jeff and Amy’s daughter, joins Howard Park.

2006

• Howard Park celebrates its 20th anniversary.
• First release of the Howard Park Museum Riesling.
• No Abercombie Cabernet Sauvignon is made due to adverse vintage conditions.
• Howard Park hosts the Tropfest film festival in Margaret River for the first time.
• The first international Riesling tasting is held at the Margaret River winery.

2007

• Tony Davis becomes Chief Winemaker.

2008

• Expansion of the Margaret River winery – additional red fermenters, additional press, and additional storage capacity.

2009

• Allan Stanbury becomes Bottling Manager. Installation of still and sparkling lines at Margaret River winery.
• The first Howard Park sparklings are tiraged.
• Howard Park joins Australia’s First Families of Wine.
• David Burch, Jeff and Amy’s son, joins Howard Park.

2010

• First release of the Howard Park Porongurup Riesling.

2011

• Janice McDonald becomes Chief Winemaker.
• First vintage of Allingham Chardonnay (which ultimately becomes part of our Icons range).

2012

• The Howard Park methodé traditionnelle sparklings are launched.
• Burch Family Wines is named as the umbrella brand of Howard Park, Marchand & Burch and MadFish.
• Richard Burch, the youngest of the Burch clan joins Howard Park.

2014

• Purchase of the Dennis vineyard in Mount Barker, which is renamed the Abercrombie Vineyard. The vineyard was planted in 1975 and has provided fruit for our Icon Cabernet Sauvignon since 1986, now called the Abercrombie.
• Purchase of the Broomstick Vineyard in southern Margaret River, which is renamed the Allingham Vineyard. The fruit has been in Howard Park Chardonnay since 2004.
• Expansion of Margaret River winery: additional crusher and press, additional small tanks to enable small batch processing.
• The Wine Chapel is opened as an exclusive tasting room at the Margaret River winery.
• The Howard Park Great Southern Riesling becomes the Mount Barker Riesling sourced from our Mount Barrow vineyard.
• The Leston nursery starts propagating Chardonnay clones for Allingham and Mount Barrow vineyards.

2016

• Howard Park celebrates 30 years.

2017

• Howard Park NV Jeté Brut Blanc wins ‘Best Australian Sparkling’ and ‘Best in Class – Australian NV Brut Blend’ at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships in London.

2018

• Janice McDonald, now Director of Winemaking, is named Gourmet Traveller’s Winemaker of the Year.
• Investment in and expansion of sparkling wine production.
• Petit Jeté sparkling wine launched.

2019

• A.S.W. Cabernet Shiraz launched as part of the Icons range.  The aim was to create a top shelf Margaret River example of the iconic Australian wine blend.

2021

• Nic Bowen appointed Chief Winemaker.

At Howard Park our success depends entirely on the quality of our fruit. We have patiently developed our vineyards over the past 35+ years, with each site specifically chosen to maximise the quality of grape varieties planted there.

Since 1986, the viticultural team has grown an intimate, exhaustive knowledge of vineyards in these areas, culminating in the careful acquisition and development of four properties – Leston and Allingham in Margaret River, and Mount Barrow and Abercrombie in the Great Southern – where every detail is controlled by our in-house team.

Leston is now home to all winery operations, including the architecturally-acclaimed cellar door, built in 2000.

It is also home to Howard Park’s original rootling nursery, used by the viticultural team to diversify clones and varieties for future plantings, and to propagate from tried and true vine stock. The nursery produces up to 40,000 rootlings per year and is currently planted with Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir clones from Burgundy. It is a state-of-the-art addition and a rarity in Western Australia.

The Abercrombie vineyard is the most historic in the Howard Park stable. Planted with Cabernet Sauvignon in 1975, it holds some of the oldest vines of the Mount Barker area.

From 1986, when winemaker John Wade purchased his first parcels of Cabernet for the fledgling Howard Park label, this rare and special site – with its gentle slopes, northerly aspect and gravelly soils – provided the backbone for the tradition of the Abercrombie, one of our Icon wines.

After carefully tending and improving these vines for over 20 years, Howard Park purchased the vineyard from the Dennis family in 2014.