| Picardy Spring 2011 Newsletter |
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September 2011
By Matt Wallace
The Pannell Family are pleased to invite you to their Spring New Release Tastings to be Wednesday, September 14th 2011 (please contact us direct for your invitation). A highlight of the ‘Spring Tasting’ will be the opening of five vintages of the Picardy Tete de Cuvee Pinot Noir for your review. Remember on the night, each order placed will go in the draw to win a magnum of Picardy 1999 Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. 2011 PICARDY SAUVIGNON BLANC SEMILLON
Picardy’s Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2011 offers lifted tropical fruits with rock and honeydew melon. Full, inviting and complex. A superbly textural palate with a zingy core of acidity, clad in slightly under-ripe tropical fruits and grassiness suggested by the nose. Length is excellent, building to an intense crescendo. Drink over the next 3 years. Pairs well with Scallop Cerviche with a lime and coriander dressing.
2010 PICARDY CHARDONNAY
The 2010 Picardy Chardonnay is very much in the mould of the 2009 vintage, which is currently being served on Qantas First Class. It is consistent with Picardy’s trend towards finer lower alcohol Chardonnays. This vintage shows more minerality, less citrus (lemon) and more lime-blossom. The nose offers decadent smoky notes and subtle bacon aromas balanced by citrusy overtones. As ever the fruit is subtle, even understated but intense and compelling at the same time. The higher proportion of whole bunch gives this wine more texture. You can almost feel the tannin. The fruit sits in the tannin giving greater length with the gentle use of oak showing through (only 25% new barriques). Length is excellent and the low ph of this wine guarantees long cellaring, or an excellent match right now with local Marron gently poached in a cream and vermouth sauce with just a hint of chilli. Drink now to 2018
2008 TETE DE CUVEE PINOT NOIR
Powerful, dark, truffles, forest floor, black fruits and sour cherry spring immediately to mind. The palate is (at the time of writing), still a little closed, so we recommend double decanting an hour or so prior to consumption. This wine is consistent in the style of Picardy Tete de Cuvee showing sourness and tightness. Taut yet supple fruits are supported by a significant quantity of whisper quiet tannins which protect the fruit, guaranteeing longevity. As this wine ages and tannins begin to soften, you will see an increase in the presence of sour cherry and truffle. Drink now to 2020, with slow cooked pork belly with herbs.
2009 PICARDY PINOT NOIR Showing correct Pinot colour. This wine is at once feminine, subtle, integrated and intense. Briary undergrowth, cherry, truffle and red fruit perfume pervade the nose. The palate offers silky, almost liquid tannins. A suggestion of charred oak is superbly integrated and supportive of the fruit. Vine age is evidenced by a very textural mid palate without being broad in any way. This wine is a joy to drink now- but should improve for a further 5 to 8 years. We recommend medium rare Lamb Backstrap, marinated with smoky paprika, oregano and olive oil.
J0HN JENS WESTERN SUBURBS WEEKLY Picardy Pinot Noir 2009
THE WINE FRONT TUESDAY, JUL 12 2011 ... I tasted this briefly, but immediately liked what I saw. Funk, tea leaves and undergrowth, spice and cherry/raspberry fruits. Medium weight with some sour-edged and herbal flavours but largely glossy and well appointed. The flavour is good, the funk factor and interest high. Soft ripe tannin that grips on the finish a further feather in its cap. Seems Old School, but in the nicest possible way. Drinks beautifully too.
2009 PICARDY SHIRAZ
The Picardy 2008 Shiraz has been selected for service on Emirates Airlines First Class.
Hints of charcuterie, plum, and just a whiff of marzipan. The fruit on both the nose and palate is exceptionally vivid and focused. The round and supple texture is shot through with assertive but fine wood and fruit tannins. We recommend double decanting for at least an hour before consumption. Drink now to 2020 with the quality beef fillet, seasoned simply with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
THE WINE FRONT TUESDAY, JUL 26 2011 The 2008 was a confronting wine that took a bit of attitude adjustment. No such problem here. Funky sulphide, raspberry, blackberry, cracked pepper, nuts and some white flower perfume. “Cream wafers”, I have written, and I’d quite fancy one too, now I think of it. Supple and medium bodied with fine grained powdery tannin – smooth and stylish. Is there some Viognier influence here? – meaty and savoury too. Perfect oak treatment. Good length with a spicy finish. Another fine Shiraz you’ve got me into, Picardy.
2009 PICARDY MERLOT CABERNET
The Picardy 2009 Merlot Cabernet is perhaps the most refined and complete example produced by Picardy to date. Delicate aromatics of berries with a hint of rose lead to a supple, well structured palate. Vine age continues to contribute to a palate which is fleshy and textural without any spill over into flabbiness. The new oak regime (more oak from Bordeaux coopers) presents exceptionally fine and plentiful tannins immaculately woven into the framework of this wine. Drink now with roast lamb and rosemary, or cellar for up to 10 years.
2008 MERLIMONT
The current Merlimont offers brilliantly focused ripe fruits structured by assertively angular Cabernet tannins. Balance and complexity are excellent, as a suggestion of astringency works counterpoint to lovely red and juicy black fruits. Tannin is abundant, with the chalky textural edge which is a hallmark of the vintage. Drink now to 2023 with Beef Wellington. ONLY 20 CASES LEFT!
GOURMET TRAVELLER WINE MAGAZINE MAY, 2011 2008 PICARDY MERLIMONT An elegant, natural-tasting wine. Attractive sweet perfumes, including raspberry and lightly herbal hints, and the palate is medium-bodied and seamlessly balanced: a subtle but lovely wine that really grows on you as you sip. Cellaring: 6 years 92 ****
MIGHTY WEST PUNCHES ABOVE ITS WEIGHT 10 NOVEMBER, 2011 BY CHRIS SHANAHAN PICARDY MERLIMONT 2008 This is Dan Pannell’s occasional, special blend of merlot (58 per cent), cabernet sauvignon (26 per cent) and cabernet franc (16 per cent). It’s a beautiful, limpid wine, square in the refined, elegant St Emilion style. Merlot sets the rich, earthy flavour tones, but cabernet franc adds to the aroma intensity, while cabernet sauvignon contributes to the elegant but firm structure. It’s a complex, more-ish wine with a modest (for today) alcohol level of 13.5 per cent. While it drinks well now, it’ll probably evolve well for another decade.
2009 PANNELL FAMILY PINOT NOIR
Consistent with their policy of continuous innovation and incremental improvement the Pannell’s have recently begun to experiment with small batches of bought in Pinot Noir fruit (never to be labelled or sold as a Picardy wine). This wine is a blend of two hand harvested small batch ferments; one fermented with extractive fermentation enzymes and the other using normal Picardy fermentation techniques. The 2009 edition offers truffle, black fruits, earth and beetroot on the nose. The same characters are in evidence on the palate, along with a hint of sour cherry and vibrant acidity. It shows elegant, spicy oak and medium weight. Drink over the next few years with minted lamb sausages. As a trial batch wine with which the Pannells are very pleased, they are able to offer it to their customers at a reasonable price. |