Howard Park Riesling 2004
- Textural
- Great Southern
So now we dip into the riesling portion of Howard Park’s museum wines. We’ve gone back sixteen years to 2004 and have riesling from vineyards in Mount Barker and Porongurup in Great Southern, two exceptional spots to grow the variety. The wine still has heaps of freshness in the form of lime, green apple and subtle passionfruit, but has clearly developed secondary characteristics that are herbal, honeyed and mineral. Howard Park stated it well in their original cellaring notes, saying ‘The refreshing citrus flavours create a wine that is very appealing in its youth. However, it may take up to ten years before the fine steely structure transforms into the toasty, rich, complex wine that is aged riesling’. We’re now well into that second decade and this wine is drinking beautifully. A rare find and one to ponder with every sip.
Profile
Reviews
James Halliday
“Pale straw-green; spotlessly clean apple and lime blossom; lovely palate, with sweet lime fruit and a dry finish.”
It’s cool, we get it, you want to know absolutely everything about this wine. Well here you go, go nuts.
Specs
- Region
- Great Southern
- Vintage
- 2004
- Cellaring
- 2024
- Preservatives
- Sulphites
- Alcohol by Vol.
- 12.5%
- Closure
- Screwcap
- Bottle Vol
- 750mL
- Blend Info
- 100% Riesling
- Serving Temp.
- 7.0°C
Region
Great Southern
Great Southern is, believe it or not, the country's largest wine region at 200km east to west, and 100km north to south. No surprise then, that the countryside and climate changes dramatically from end to end, and that there are five subregions: maritime Albany; neighbouring Denmark; Frankland River, favouring Bordeaux reds; cooler Mount Barker renowned for stunning Riesling; and even cooler, granitic, continental Porongorup where Cabernet defers to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. As a large region to source from, variety and style can vary immensely, but you can count on quality, as there are so many great vines to choose from.
The rules are there ain’t no rules, but here are some foods we think will work pretty well with this wine...