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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!
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