The Leston and Scotsdale wines, both Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.
Uncorked gems from Howard Park, WA
In the heart of Western Australia, Howard Park’s Distinguished Sites wines emerge like secrets from the soil. The Leston and Scotsdale wines, both Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, are as much an exploration of place as they are of flavour. Crafted with nearly 40 years of knowledge and care, they speak of earth, of climate, and of hands that have learned how to translate both into liquid poetry.
Leston Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
The Leston Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is like walking barefoot through the vineyards of Margaret River at dusk, the air heavy with the scent of eucalyptus and the distant murmur of the ocean. This wine doesn’t rush to greet you; instead, it unfolds slowly, deliberately. It begins with the dark, inky depth of blackcurrants, a richness that pools on the tongue, bold yet elegant. Beneath that, a whisper of cedar, an echo of the oak barrels in which it has slumbered, like a library of ancient, leather-bound books waiting to be opened.
Yet, it’s the tannins that intrigue the most. They are firm, like the hand of a master craftsman, but with a velvet glove—a structure that holds the wine together but doesn’t overpower. There is something almost regal about the way this wine sits in the glass, the way it captures the wild beauty of the Margaret River’s maritime climate. As the wine warms and breathes, there’s a flash of spice—cinnamon, perhaps, or clove—dancing on the edges, reminding you that this wine, while young, will only deepen with age. The Leston Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is a love letter to Margaret River, where the sun and sea conspire to create something both powerful and graceful.
Scotsdale Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
If the Leston Cabernet is dusk, then the Scotsdale Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is dawn in the Great Southern—a place where the morning mist still clings to the vines, cool and mysterious. There is a sharpness to this wine, a precision that speaks of granite and limestone, of a land that has known the breath of winter and the kiss of the sun in equal measure. The first sip is like biting into a ripe plum—dark, juicy, but with a hint of acidity that lifts it, that brightens the experience.
This wine is a study in contrasts. Where the Leston Cabernet is rich and enveloping, the Scotsdale feels more restrained, more introspective. Its tannins are finer, more delicate, like the bones of a delicate bird, yet they hold the wine with a quiet strength. There’s a wildness here too, a nod to the cool, continental climate of the Great Southern—a forest floor damp with dew, the scent of wild herbs crushed underfoot. As the wine opens up, there’s a layer of earthiness that emerges, a grounding element that speaks to its origin, to the hands that coaxed it from vine to bottle. The Scotsdale Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is a wine for those who appreciate subtlety, for those who listen for the quiet notes beneath the louder melody.
Leston Shiraz 2020
Then there’s the Leston Shiraz 2020, a wine that feels like a summer storm rolling in over the Margaret River. There’s electricity in the air from the moment the cork is pulled—a crackle of dark berries, of blackberries and blueberries, ripened to the point of bursting. But this isn’t a wild storm; it’s a controlled one, where every lightning strike is perfectly placed. The spice in this Shiraz is what captivates—peppery, with hints of anise and clove, it dances on the palate like raindrops on hot pavement.
The mouthfeel is lush, almost velvety, but with enough structure to remind you that this wine has roots in ancient soils, in the steady heartbeat of Margaret River’s terroir. It’s a wine of layers—beneath the fruit and spice, there’s a thread of chocolate, a richness that feels indulgent but never excessive. As it settles, the wine reveals more of its story—tobacco leaves, a wisp of smoke, like the final embers of a fire on a summer night. The Leston Shiraz 2020 is a celebration of balance, of power restrained by elegance, of a place where the land and the sea come together to create something unforgettable.
Scotsdale Shiraz 2021
The Scotsdale Shiraz 2021 is an entirely different creature, forged in the cool, windswept vineyards of the Great Southern, where the earth is granite and the air carries the crisp bite of the continent. This is a wine that feels like autumn in a glass—there’s a certain chill to it, a brightness that cuts through the rich fruit, like the first cool breeze after a long, hot summer. The fruit here leans more towards red than black—raspberries, perhaps, or red plums—vivid and bright, but with a deeper, more serious undercurrent.
The tannins are fine, almost silky, giving the wine a delicacy that belies its complexity. There’s a minerality to this Shiraz, a sense of the earth from which it sprung, of stones warmed by the sun and the slow, steady growth of vines that have weathered the cool winds of the Great Southern. And then there’s the spice—less peppery than its Margaret River sibling, more subtle, more like a breath of herbs carried on the breeze. The Scotsdale Shiraz 2021 is a wine that asks for reflection, that invites you to sit quietly and consider the way the land shapes the wine, the way the cool air and granite soils have crafted something so precise, so beautiful.
The Leston wines, born of Margaret River’s maritime warmth, are bold and generous, while the Scotsdale wines, hailing from the Great Southern’s cool, continental climate, are more restrained, more contemplative. Together, they are a conversation between land and winemaker, between nature and craft. Howard Park has not simply bottled grapes; they have captured the soul of two regions, two climates, and offered them to the world in the form of these distinguished winesonal shows, a legacy of quality and passion.
