Leading Australian Wine Writer James Halliday, in his 2011 Australian Wine Companion has again awarded both our Howard Park and MadFish Wineries a prestigious 5 Red Star ranking. “Outstanding winery regularly producing wines of exemplary quality and typicity”. This is given to wineries who have maintained their 5 Star rating for at least 3 consecutive years, with at least two wines rated at 94 points or above. With four of our Howard Park Wines listed as 'Best of the Best' and our Marchand & Burch label claiming the title as one of the 'Best Wineries of the regions - The Great Southern'.
2009 HOWARD PARK RIESLING ‘Best of the Best’ “Exceedingly pale colour; citrus blossom aromas announce aninitially mouth-puckering (in the best possible way) palate, opening quickly toreveal a zesty lime and mineral range of flavors; the acid profile promises avery long life”. 96 Points
2008 HOWARD PARK ‘ABERCROMBIE’ CABERNET SAUVIGNON ‘Best of the Best’ “Beautifully poised bouquet, with unmistakable varietalleafiness and bucket loads of enticing cassis fruit; the bouquet moves intoflorals, with oak playing a minor role to the pristine and ample fruit; thepalate displays an impeccable balance of fruit, acid and silky fine-grained tannins,revealing a long complex and wonderfully satisfying experience; while it willage gracefully, many simply won't wait, and they will not be disappointed.” 96 Points
2007 HOWARD ‘ABERCROMBIE’ CABERNET SAUVIGNON ‘Best of the Best’ “Excellent crimson; features a blend of 'old vine' cabernetfrom the Great Southern (93%)/Margaret River (7%); a distinguished wine withvery clearly articulated varietal fruit at the 'sweet spot' of maturity. Willage superbly." 96 Points
2008 HOWARD PARK SCOTSDALE SHIRAZ “Deep crimson-purple; while not sacrificing elegance, has thegreatest volume of fruit of the three Shirazs. With blackberry, licorice andplum, that has swallowed the oak; a complete wine in every respect.” 95 Points
2009 HOWARD PARK SAUVIGNON BLANC ‘Best of the Best’ “Pale straw-green; an intriguing wine from start to finish,with delicate fruit ranging from citrus to tropical, and a feathery touch ofbarrel ferment that might so easily have obscured, rather than enhanced, thefruit.” 94 Points
2008 HOWARD PARK LESTON CABERNET SAUVIGNON “Bright colour; an elegant blend of red fruits and cassis,with alluring tones of cedar and a touch of violets; the perfume follows on thepalate, delivering an understated mixture of structure, finesse and power, asthe palate really builds to an harmonious crescendo looks to have a healthyfuture ahead.” 94 Points
2008 HOWARD PARK LESTON SHIRAZ 93 Points
2008 HOWARD PARK SCOTSDALE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 92 Points
Marchand & Burch Results 'Best Wineries of the Regions - The Great Southern'
"This is the first stage of a joint venture between Canadian-born and Burgundian-trained Pascal Marchand and the Burch family, which owns Howard Park and MadFish Wines. The first releases are of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sourced from the Porongurup and Mount Barker subregions of the Great Southern and Shiraz from Frankland River/Margaret River. The Chardonnay, in particular is outstanding. In late 2009, three Burgundies from '07 were released: Mersault, a Gevrey Chambertin and a Grand Cru Chambertin Clos de Beze."
2007 Marchand & Burch Chambertin Clos de Beze Pinot Noir “Clear crimson-purple; stands apart form the best Australian pinots with its extra dimension of ripe tannins, and the way the flavours swell on the finish and aftertaste.” Cellaring 2020 96 Points
2008 Marchand & Burch Shiraz Margaret River “From a single site at Wilyabrup, this is a distinguished wine, its texture and structure superb; the flavours are in a dark plum and black cherry spectrum, lifting and lilting on the finish and aftertaste, oak and tannins in perfect unison.” Cellaring 2028 96 Points
2007 Marchand & Burch Meursault “Quite fascinating how the screwcap has kept the wine so vibrantly fresh - and (perhaps) Pascal Marchand’s experience in Australia has ever-so-slightly fined the more normal exuberance of Meursault Chardonnay.” Cellaring 2020 95 Points
2009 Marchand & Burch Gibraltar Rock Pinot Noir Porongurups “Full red-purple, bright and clear; a powerful pinot with undeniable black plum varietal character and unusually complex structure on the long finish...” Cellaring 2020 94 Points
2009 Marchand & Burch Mount Barrow Pinot Noir Mount Barker “Good hue, although lighter in depth than Gibraltar Rock; the aromatic red cherry bouquet sets the scene for a radically different wine, although no less varietal; red fruits and spices carry the long, fine palate, perfectly judged extract.” Cellaring 2016 94 Points
2007 Marchand & Burch Gevrey Chambertin “Distinctly deeper colour than the Clos de Beze; rich and generous, awash with plum and black cherry fruit and may appeal to some more than the Clos de Beze, but it isn’t the same ultimate class - just very good.” Cellaring 2017 94 Points