|
If any Western Australian winery is leading the field in refining and changing the face of top flight Chardonnay then Picardy would have to be it. This delicate, varietal fruit-laced, seductive white is a pleasure to drink. This one dances in the glass, is streamlined, powerful yet sophisticated - a Lamborghini Chardy, if you will. Bill and Dan have conducted trials with new yeast strains in recent years and have created a very impressive, unique Pemberton Chardonnay. On the nose there are very subtle buttery notes overlaid by soft floral, peach and apricot nuances. The palate has gentle citrus and ripe flavours of honeydew melon, grapefruit and pineapple tightly knit with gentle, spicy vanilla oak. Secondary characters include lime, hazel nut, lemon and honey. The wine finishes long and satisfying with balanced yet lingering citric acidity. The limited use of oak and the right yeast strains have been key to the unique character of this alluring white. A wine that is perfectly matched with creamy seafood pasta or lightly seasoned poultry dishes. |
|
|
The Pannells have been consciously refining their Chardonnay in recent years (with impressive results), the 2007 vintage couldn’t help but have slightly richer fruit with pronounced varietal characters to the fore; it was that kind of year. This is an eminently approachable wine with attractive depth, mouth-feel and flavour spectrum. Trials with new yeast strains in recent years have created a very impressive, unique Pemberton Chardonnay. On the nose there are very subtle buttery notes overlaid by floral and peach nuances. The palate has a richer structure than the 2006, with quite luscious fruit and gentle citrus on the finish. Secondary characters include lime, hints of mineral, hazel nut, lemon, pear and honey. As in previous years the careful and limited use of oak shows through, extending the palate with a lingering, balanced finish. Perfect with creamy seafood pasta or fresh pan fried dhufish. Bill and Dan believe that this is the best Chardonnay from Picardy so far. |
|
Bill and Dan Pannell believe this is the best Chardonnay from Picardy to date, and it’s easy to see why – it is a beautifully refined wine with gentle complexity and fine fruit nuances to the fore. Indeed if wine could be defined in dance terms, this chardonnay is a prima ballerina among too many other styles still plodding out the waltz (with varying degrees of proficiency!) While much Australian chardonnay remains overly ponderous, this wine is a testament to delicacy and subtlety. One of the yeast strains trialled in the 2005 Picardy Chardonnay was used again alongside the primary yeast in this wine. This made the blend more complex and added a fuller mid-palate. There is a refined nose showing floral, peach and flinty aromas. The palate has excellent structure, with quite luscious fruit and tight tangy acid. Gentle fruit flavours are complex and include lime zest, with hints of mineral, hazelnut, lemon, and pear and honey as secondary characters. These characters will develop with careful aging for five to ten years. The careful and limited use of oak shows through, extending the palate with a lingering savoury finish. The Pannell’s objective to make WA’s most refined and complex chardonnay is coming closer with each passing vintage! |
|
|
Bill and Dan Pannell believe this is the best Chardonnay from Picardy to date, and it’s easy to see why - it’s a beautifully refined wine with complex character and varietal fruit nuances to therefore. Two new yeast strains were trialled alongside the primary yeast in this wine. One of these has made the blend more complex and added a fuller mid-palate to the wine while maintaining the traditional refined Picardy style. The 2005 Chardonnay has a refined complex nose showing floral, citrus and flinty aromas. The palate has excellent structure, with mineral characters and a tight tangy acid finish. Fruit flavours are complex and show lime, pear, hazelnut and honey as secondary characters. These characters will develop with careful ageing for around five to ten years or more. Once again, subtle oak usage shows through extending the palate with a lingering savoury finish. |
|
What a charming wine! Having grown used to perhaps too many hefty, often heavily oaked WA Chardonnays (particularly several from Margaret River), one had a minor epiphany sipping this subtle medium bodied, beautifully balanced Pemberton wine. There is hazelnut, citrus and soft lees notes. It features a lovely balance of fruit, natural acidity, wonderful mouth-feel and lingering finish.Most importantly, the expression of varietal fruit is exquisite. This is elegant, new wave WA chardonnay that in my opinion is among the best in Australia. It’s slightly similar to other Australian celebrated cool-climate iconic Chardonnays, but this Picardy 2004 is subtler and I reckon better!“We are really happy with the Chardonnay,” said Dan. “We have been trying to refine the wine over the last couple of years and I believe this is very much where we want to be taking it.” |
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 1 of 2 |
