Howard Park Scotsdale Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

The Scotsdale Cabernet Sauvignon is part of Howard Park’s Distinguished sites range, offering the chance to compare and contrast the same varieties from their Margaret River and Great Southern vineyards. This fruit comes from the cooler climate of the Abercrombie vineyard in the Mount Barker subregion of Great Southern, planted in 1976. The concentration of the old vines is evident from the first waft of aromas. There’s a bevy of juicy berries – strawberries, blueberries and blackberries with a hint of blackcurrant leaf. Beautifully integrated oak (25% new) adds subtle nutmeg. With a little more time in the glass, an exotic star anise unfurls. It’s very elegant on the palate, showing the contemporary preference for Cabernet with vibrance and fruit, rather than richness. There’s bright acidity and fine tea-like tannins. Pair with crispy roast pork and rosemary sea salt dusted crunchy potatoes.

Nicole Bilson

Wine Critic at Winepilot

Nicole loves wine. So much so that she gave up a successful career in Pharmacy, perfected her spitting technique, and moved from sunny Queensland to the wine-drenched laneways of Melbourne. Stints in hospitality, wineries, retail, sales and marketing filled the next few years while Nicole built her knowledge and searched for the right path. She completed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in 2016 and became a certified WSET Educator the following year. She now juggles a number of roles including teaching people about wine, curating wines lists for restaurants and bars, judging in Australian wine shows and, of course, writing. In 2016 she won the Negociants Working With Wine writing award and has since contributed to Gourmet Traveller WINE, Halliday Wine Companion Magazine and Nourish Magazine.

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