Winemaker Notes
-Wine Enthusiast
The 2001 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon is a dense blood red with a dark centre. The nose displays predominantly the characters of Great Southern Cabernet Sauvignon; dusty earthy tones with dark blackcurrant fruits. There is high class cedary oak evident providing a savoury component to the bouquet. The palate displays the benefit of the addition of the Margaret River Cabernet with rich sweet fruit displaying chocolaty and ripe berries complementing the leaner more austere Great Southern Cabernet. The outstanding feature of the wine is the structural complexity achieved only in a few wines with mature ripe tannin and backed up by quality French oak.
We believe the 2001 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon will rank with the best of previous vintages; 1986, 1988, 1992 and 1994.
The 2001 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon has, like all it's predecessors, all the structural components to reward long term cellaring. The expectation is that the wine would benefit from 10 years maturation.
Professional Ratings
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of Australia’s most elegant and long-lived red and white wines, Margaret River is situated in the farthest reaches of Western Australia. Relatively warm and dry, the region is cooled by breezes from the Indian Ocean. Margaret River takes some inspiration from Bordeaux, producing top-quality Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux Blends with firm structure, mouthwatering acidity, balanced alcohol and notes of herbs and spice. For white wines, refreshing blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon as well as complex, age-worthy Chardonnays are regional specialties.