HOWARD PARK | Leston | Cabernet Sauvignon | 2015
cabernet sauvignon

We will be evaluating wines in no particular order on no particular schedule. Just stay tuned and you will never miss our reviews. If the wine is tasted more than once, the rating table will be updated so as to reflect all the new impressions and observations.

Today we are going to review a living legend from the lands of Down Under – Leston Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 by Howard Park. Cabernet Sauvignon is grown all over the world in a wide range of climates and regions and it can produce wines that are very high in tannins and acidity, that can mature and develop for many years in the bottle. Cabernet Sauvignon is also a late ripening grape variety, which means that it is best suited for warm climates, where it is capable to produce wines that can reach into realms of perfection, where they are rarely followed. Howard Park is one of the pioneering australian wineries, specializing in the premier regions of Margaret River and the Great Southern. Since 1999, the estate’s single vineyard wines have represented the distinctive personalities of the best australian shiraz and cabernet sauvignon. Originally known as the ‘Regional Range’, this collection of wines was introduced by the winemaker Michael Kerrigan, as the first Howard Park wines added to the stable after founding winemaker John Wade’s original line-up.This particular wine is made of cabernet sauvignon grapes that were sourced from the Leston Vineyard, situated in the famous Wilyabrup sub-region (the coastal, mid northern part of Margaret River), planted on gravel, clay and loam-rich soils and has been aged in french oak barrels (of which 40% new oak) for 18 months. But let’s skip all that boring theory, that said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
_________________________________________________________________________
Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: deep garnet color
clarity: hazy garnet shades

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & earthy
fruit profile: black fruits | dried fruits
__black fruits: black cherry | black plum | blackberry | blackcurrant | aronia berry
__dried fruits: dried black cherry | dried black plum
fruit character: overripe & dried

//Flavor
non fruit: oak & earth
__oak: sun-dried oak | tobacco | cloves | oaktree bark | charred wood
__earth: dust | black soil | pencil lead | charcoal | clay | loam | marl
primary layer: fruit & earth

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: fine
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol
body: ample | full body

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits & dried fruits
fruit character: overripe & dried
non fruit: earth & oak
finish: medium+
aftertaste: seedy-crisp

//Scoring
HOWARD PARK | Leston | Cabernet Sauvignon | 2015
variety: cabernet sauvignon
country: Australia | Western Australia
region: Margaret River | Wilyabrup
rating: 94.5

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now or age for 1-2 years
verdict: great | a must try wine

//Prediction
predicted RP rating: 91

//RP Rating
actual RP rating: ?_________________________________________________________________________

This is definitely a great wine of Australia and, with a total of 94.5 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a textbook cabernet sauvignon wine that tastes rich, firm and ample, with an expressive nose and a mature palate. The wine is right there, at the peak of its form, therefore we would recommend to drink it sooner rather than later, as we firmly believe that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine displays overripe and dried black fruits in the foreground, supported by a very appealing, earthy and oaky background. On the palate the wine delivers mouth-watering acidity, ripe and fine-grained tannins and a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a crisp and pleasantly seedy aftertaste. All in all this is a round, complex and very appealing cabernet sauvignon wine, with blueprint varietal characteristics of the cabernet sauvignon grape – a wine that is mixing power with finesse. We believe it will pair lovely with delicate meats, that are rich in natural umami flavour, like for example a classic fillet mignon steak. Cheers!

_________________________________________________________________________
© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.