Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon

Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon bottle image

Wine Description

Named for Walter Abercrombie, the much loved Great Grandfather and mentor of Jeff Burch, the owner of Howard Park Wines, this is Howard Park's finest Cabernet Sauvignon.  

Howard Park’s winemaking philosophy is to craft elegant, age-worthy wines from our best sites in the Margaret River & Great Southern regions of Western Australia. Critical site selection, meticulous viticultural practice and detailed winemaking underline each Icon wine.

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Acclaim
“Rich notes of mocha, baking cherry, dried herbs and savory spice on the nose lead to a palate that’s wound in powerful, cat’s tongue tannins. It’s somewhat austere at the moment, lacking the upfront appeal of previous vintages, but has cellaring potential well past a decade.” (Cellar Selection) — Wine Enthusiast, Dec 2024
“Abercrombie’s fruit is now sourced solely from the Leston vineyard in Margaret River; previous vintages were blended with parcels from Mount Barker. This has power and depth, yet regional refinement. Cassis, just-ripe mulberries, woodsy spices with black olive tapenade and iodine. Fuller bodied, there’s a sweet spot of fruit, cedary oak and tannins nicely drying and slightly sandy. Allow more time in bottle for this to settle.”  — James Halliday, Jul 2024
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Vineyard & Production Info
Production area/appellation:
Margaret River (53%) & Mount Barker (47%)
Vineyard name
Leston Vineyard & Abercrombie Vineyard
Soil composition
Shallow lateritic gravels over sandy, clay loam.
Exposure:
Northwestern (Leston) & Northeastern (Abercrombie)
Year vineyard planted:
2007 (Leston) & 1976 (Abercrombie)
Harvest time:
April
Bottles produced of this wine:
3,144
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Malolactic fermentation:
Yes
Fining agent:
Egg White
Type of aging container:
Barriques
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
22 months
Age of Aging Container:
60% New, 40% Older
Total SO2
59
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.58
Acidity:
6.2 g/L
Alcohol:
14 %
Total SO2
59
Residual sugar:
1.5 g/L
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Wine Production

Harvest occurred from mid to late April 2017.
Small parcels were handpicked and sorted before fermentation.
Fermentation occurred in head down closed stainless and small, open vat steel fermenters. Selected parcels remained on skins post the fermentation to further enhance the tannin profile while others were pressed at dryness to capture fruit vibrancy.
Each batch was matured separately in order to build a wine history over time.
Barrel maturation: 22 months in 60% new and 40% older French oak barriques.
After a light egg white fining and filtration, the wine was bottled.

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About the Vineyard

After a cold, wet winter/spring and annual rainfall above the averages of the past decade, the stage was set for a late start to vintage. Early spring growth was slow, and summer progressed in the same, mild fashion. Fungal diseases began to thrive in the humid, cool conditions and fruit selection and early harvesting was necessary to retain quality. By late March the heavens opened with an abundance of rain. As the mud dried, April delivered an Indian summer of unseasonably dry and warm conditions until the end of harvest. This prolonged ripening phase allowed flavours to develop fully and tannins to soften.