2018 Howard's Folly Syrah
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Tasting notes
Their own vines, which are more exposed. Some American oak as well as French. A touch stemmy/herbal on the nose. But apparently there were no stems in the ferment. Dark-fruited with a hint of juicy sweetness on the palate. Peppery. Dry and peppery with some oak sweetness on the finish but not excessively so. The tannins rein this in. Not stemmy on the palate. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Mark Squires
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Syrah Howard's Folly was aged for four months in a 75/25 mixture of new French and American oak. It comes in at 14.6% alcohol. Another pricey offering this issue from the winery, this does seem to do better than the Touriga. It is a slightly gamey Syrah, but not one that is out of control—these are nuances. It manages to retain some brightness and considerable elegance. It almost matches the Touriga for mid-palate finesse. Precise and focused, this finishes with mostly ripe tannins that make it approachable even now. It can easily age for another decade, maybe more. It does need to show some ability to improve and develop. I think it can do both.
About the producer
A joint project from British entrepreneur Howard Bilton and Australian winemaker David Baverstock, Howard’s Folly is a boutique wine producer in the Alentejo. Working with old vines and indigenous grapes largely in the cooler Portalegre, they craft fresh and modern expressions of the region.