2024 Howard Park Flint Rock Shiraz, Great Southern

93 points Wine Pilot

"... lively spiciness and fine earthy minerality..."

A spicy and distinctive cool-climate Shiraz with mulberry leading the aromatic bandwagon of earthy dark fruit, backed by the scent of a granite mortar filled with fresh rosemary. Lively and peppery, the palate bursts with rich black and blue fruit with notes of fresh roasted cocoa beans. Intriguing iodine undertones spread across the long, gravelly finish that translates the landscape of the Great Southern perfectly.

Lean into the rustic personality of this wine and bring it out for a cozy, comforting dinner. It is a great partner for a slow-cooked venison and wild mushroom pie with a rich red-wine gravy. The wine's distinct granite minerality and savoury rosemary notes mirror the earthy, gamey depth of the venison, while its lively, peppery finish cuts beautifully through the flaky, buttery pastry.

Keeping it casual? Fire up the grill alongside a char-grilled flank steak topped with a heavy smear of smoky chimichurri. The wine’s gravelly tannins provide the perfect structural grip for the lean, charred beef, while its vibrant mulberry and blue fruit flavours effortlessly balance the zesty garlic and herb kick of the sauce.

More about this wine

Howard Park is a family-owned winery with more than 40 years of experience in Western Australia’s Margaret River and Great Southern regions. From its 1986 origin in the latter, the estate has grown to five properties: Leston and Allingham in Margaret River, Mount Barrow and Abercrombie in the Great Southern, and Forest View in Pemberton. Each site has a different focus but the overarching theme is control: tailoring each vine and seasonal bud and keeping the fruit and the expertise in-house.

The Flint Rock Shiraz is a regional Great Southern blend with the soils, aspects, clones and microclimates of each site adding complexity to the final wine.

The 2024 vintage combines Mount Barker and Frankland River fruit. The season was defined by a fast-paced vintage after a dry and warm summer that accelerated the almost simultaneous ripening of all grape varieties.

Fermentation took place in small open vats with gentle cap management to facilitate the extraction of fine fruit tannin, and select parcels included up to 15% whole bunch for elevated aromatics. Maturation was for 15 months in primarily well-seasoned French oak.

Critic reviews

93 points Jeni Port for Wine Pilot, June 2026

“As usual, a lively spiciness and fine earthy minerality rocks Flint Rock Shiraz! They are integral features of Shiraz from this Great Southern site. A mesh of scents erupts in briar, earth, autumnal leaves, dark fruits, spice. No fancy winemaking artefact here, just an open expression of cool climate Shiraz fruit where a peppery spice injects extra life into a palate that frankly is pretty lively as it is, with blueberries mingling among the dark berries, dusty cocoa and hints of earthy savouriness and undergrowth. Tannins bring everything into a firm focus.”

93 points Stuart Knox for The Real Review, June 2026

“Deep ruby with a rich purple tinted rim. Mulberry, crushed rosemary and granite aromas. Full bodied but not overtly so, ripe mulberry and plum fruit are well balanced by dried rosemary herbal notes and deeper iodine and river stone minerality. Long across the palate with gravelly tannins that accentuate the savoury tones into the drying finish. Drink to 2034.”

90 points Mike Bennie for Halliday Wine Companion, June 2026

“A very pleasant drink, perhaps with the concern of breathy, woody spice leading the witness of dark cherry, black olive and plummy fruit character, but there's lift, plushness and vibrancy on hand. A touch coarse in tannin profile, a bit warm, too, though you'll find pleasure in a bit of heft and grunt here, and the polish may come with time. Drink to 2030.”