2022 Howard Park Scotsdale Shiraz Distinguished Sites Shiraz from vineyards in the Frankland River subregion of the Great Southern  is blended to highlight the distinctive varietal and regional qualities of our  best sites. The expression of Shiraz from this cool, continental climate is characterised  by an intensity and concentration of dark fruits with traces of spice, earth and  guiding tannins.    TASTING NOTES The 2022 Scotsdale Shiraz displays an intense, vibrant purple robe, most  inviting and almost shimmering in its brilliance. There is a beautifully balanced  aromatic bouquet of freshly cooked plums, forest berries and cinnamon,  with some blackberry bush and sage notes adding additional complexity.  The palate is elegance personified, with an enveloping, sensual texture  elevating the attack of bright and juicy red and black fruits. A suave, fine  tannin profile provides for flavour persistence through the finish, and savoury  notes coalesce on the back palate to remind us that this pure-fruited wine  has the soul of Shiraz waiting to emerge over a decade of bottle age.    VINTAGE In 2022, beautiful dry and sunny conditions were entrenched throughout  January and February, removing a great deal of the disease pressure that  rain and humidity can bring and allowing a predictable insight into ripening  patterns across most varieties. While summer set the scene for another consistent and memorable vintage,  certain varieties paid a penalty for difficult conditions earlier in the growing  season. The wet winter of 2021 lingered unduly, smothering the renewal of  spring and delaying the onset of budburst and flowering in the vineyards. The  consequence was reduced yields in our estate vineyards in the Great Southern. Consistent fine weather at the tail end of the growing season ensured that  the potential developed in the vines was maximised by picking at optimum  levels of ripeness. Superb balance between sugar, acidity and flavour across  all varieties gives us great optimism for the evolution of wines from the 2022  vintage. VINEYARDS The wine was blended from a selection of the best batches of Shiraz grown  on our vineyards in Frankland River. Soils in this area are lateritic gravels over  sandy, clay loam. WINEMAKING The fruit for the 2022 Scotsdale Shiraz is a combination of hand-picked  bunches and some rows collected by the Pellenc Selectiv harvester. The  ferment take place in small static fermenters using native yeast, with twice daily punch downs for air circulation. Maloloactic fermentation takes place in  tank, post the alcoholic ferment, and then 600 litre French oak puncheons are  filled for an elevage in barrel of 9 months. 25% new barrels are used. The wine  was bottled in February 2023 after a light fining and filtration