2005 Howard Park Scotsdale Shiraz Reviews

“Tyrian purple, its regal and Romanesque. Clove and cinnamon dominate the palate, anisette and cumin. Layered below are splatters of succulent ripe boysenberry and blackcurrant. Like the Roman Empire, grows larger and larger. Thumbs up.”

Jason Boudville, Spice Magazine - 01-06-2008
Full Review

“It is a melodious, lip-smacking wine, the type that can easily have you skipping around the house singing merrily. The thing is, it is tasty, spicy, smooth and dark, but sophisticated too. Filigreed tannin, bass notes of olive and aniseed, cedary oak and excellent length. One of my favourite wines of the year. Drink 2012 to 2018.”

95 Points
Campbell Mattinson, The Big Red Wine Book - 01-05-2008
Full Review

“The 2005 "Scotsdale" Shiraz has scents of paine grille, pepper, leather, spice box, tobacco and blueberry. The flavours are attractive and the wine has very good depth. There is enough ripe tannin to support several years of further evolution in the bottle. Drink it through 2020.Howard Park is an excellent source for elegant red and white wines from Western Australia. Even better, they offer an outstanding price/quality ratio.”

89 Points
Jay Miller, eRobertParker.com - 01-11-2007
Full Review

“Howard Park has wineries in both Margaret River and at Denmark in the Great Southern - and this is an outstanding shiraz made from Frankland River fruit. Very concentrated but very drinkable, with some lovely spicy cool-climate character. French oak plays a subtle support role in a very fine red.”

Winsor Dobbin, Golf Magazine - 01-10-2007
Full Review

“Western Australia's Great Southern is emerging as a great source of Shiraz in the more elegant, cool-grown style. Howard Park's Scotsdale is becoming a regional star. The 2005 vintage is a classy, superfine style of good concentration. It shows raspberry and blackberry pastille aromas with subtle oak dovetailed in harmoniously. In the mouth it's smooth and seductive in texture, with ripe fruit flavours of great persistence, supported by soft, perfectly measured tannins.”

Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age, Epicure, Uncorked - 25-09-2007
Full Review

“Deep ruby. Flamboyantly aromatic nose displays a wide range of red and dark berry aromas along with cinnamon, clove, mace, cured tobacco, mocha and vanilla. This supple midweight is packed with sweet raspberry and blackberry preserve flavors and given a serious mien by notes of tobacco, licorice and bitter chocolate. Gains a chewy quality on the strikingly long finish but betrays no hardness, leaving a spicy, vanillin footprint on the aftertaste. Extremely attractive now but should reward another five years in a cool place. This is one outrageous bargain”

92 Points
Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer?s International Wine Cellar - 01-09-2007
Full Review

“The Great Southern region is tucked down on the southwestern tip of the continent, amid spectacular coastline, whales and ancient native forests. It's a long way away, but the kind of place you remember forever.Howard Park has significant interests in the area. This shiraz is an archetypal wine of the region, consistently leading the pack.Ripe dark, fruits, some plums, a waft of pepper and plenty of spice here too. It has measured, complex presence, depth and richness on the palate, it drives evenly right through to the finish, rolling berries and plums through a finely knit tannin frame. Will age superbly.”

93 Points
Nick Stock, The Adelaide Review - 03-08-2007
Full Review

“Sweet black fruit, Chinese five spice, chocolate, coal and vanilla mingle to create exotic perfumed aromatics. On the medium to full bodied palate there are flavours of sweet cool black fruits, five spice, chocolate, coal and a little pepper. It has smooth creamy texture with fine milk chocolate tannins and maintains its poise and balance all the way through the mouth. Finishes long, spicy and creamy... sexy sexy sexy wine.Drink 2007 - 2016.”

95 Points
Gary Walsh, Winorama - 17-07-2007
Full Review

“A hundred clicks or so south of Margaret River sits the Great Southern region, with its cooler climate and stonier soil. It is where Howard Park source the fruit for their Scotsdale Shiraz, and it is easy to see why. The result is a distinctly regional, individual style of Shiraz, peppery, perfumed and with an intriguing spicy/stony/dustiness about it. This is still only medium bodied, but has velvetine black fruit flavours in harmony with the natural spice and pepper that is a traditional character of this wine. Super length, elegant, great balance; a lovely wine and in the top handful of WA Shiraz.”

94 Points
Grant Dodd, The Winning Pro - 10-07-2007
Full Review

“Monumentally gorgeous, melodious, lip-smacking red wine. All things to all red wine drinkers. Sweet fruited, sensationally silken, injected with a spicy sophistication and, to boot, loaded up with fine, filigreed, mature, flavoursome tannin. Aniseed, raspberries, olives, cedar - all kinds of good flavours. A single vineyard shiraz from the Great Southern region of Australia, and a mighty good one.Drink: 2012-2018.”

95 Points
Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 01-07-2007
Full Review