Winemaker Notes
A wine bouncing from the glass with fresh and rare fruit notes of mixed citrus, melon, peach and apricot. These primary aromas are subtly enhanced with caramel and vanilla spice, adding complexity, excitement and anticipation. The palate exudes fleshy primary fruits, layered with nutmeal, lemon butter and brioche. A fine, chalk like texture, bright acidity and subtle use of oak adds length, dimension and structure to the wine.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From a cooler, southern subregion of Margaret River (Miamup), this vintage of Howard Park's Chard is punchy and pretty, offering heady aromas of kumquats and nectarines, with saline, mineral notes and gentle but ever-present toasty, vanillin oak notes. The easygoing palate is slippery and saline, with lovely fruit intensity and crystalline acidity. Again the oak shows but doesn't overwhelm. This has hit its stride now, and offers an affordable intro to the famed Chardonnays of Australia's west.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
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.