2024 Howard Park Leston Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River

While there’s plenty to enjoy here and substance within, this is way too young – it really needs extra bottle age. Until then, expect exuberant fruit flavours of cherries, cassis and mulberries all doused in cedary, spicy oak and fresh herbs. A touch of menthol, too. Full bodied, with slightly coarse tannins (as in silty), with the oak a tad overt, yet this finishes fresh and lively. Drink 2027-2038.

93 points Jane Faulkner for Halliday Wine Companion, February 2026

The Leston vineyard sits in Wilyabrup, in the heart of Margaret River's northern corridor — the country where the region's most classical Cabernet Sauvignon character has always come from. Jeff Burch named the vineyard after his father, and it has been the foundation of Howard Park's red wine range for over three decades. The vineyard is managed with careful attention to individual blocks and clones, and the fruit for this wine comes from specific parcels selected by the winemaking team each vintage.

The 2024 season arrived early and warm — harvest began in mid-January, a full four weeks ahead of schedule — and the dry conditions produced concentrated, well-structured fruit. The Leston vineyard is farmed along organic and biodynamic lines, without chemicals or pesticides; a flock of sheep grazes the blocks each winter to manage weeds naturally. Hand harvested and fermented in small open tanks with gentle extraction, then 18 months in French oak with around 40% new barrels.

Deep crimson, the nose is layered and inviting — blackcurrant, mulberry, tobacco leaf and black olive, with graphite and cocoa adding depth. The palate is finely detailed with cassis, plum and savoury herb, supple tannins with real grip, and a long, structured finish. A wine built for the cellar but approachable now with a good decant.

Lamb rack, slow-roasted beef, a good aged hard cheese or a simple roast with herbs. The kind of wine that rewards both a midweek roast and a more considered occasion.

Drink now through 2034.