New Releases
2023 Picardy
Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
Tasting note by Ambrose Nock
85% Sauvignon Blanc Semillon / 15% Semillon
This bright and vibrant Sauvignon blend, one of the under the radar wines
of the portfolio, is back with some punch in 2023.
With the complexity of three clones making up the Sauvignon Blanc portion and (as with all Picardy wines) the vines being un-irrigated, carefully cane-pruned and hand-picked, this translates into a very attractive and floral SBS. Citrus, guava and pear notes are expertly guided by persistent and lively acidity.
Very much in the Picardy house style, this is another excellent release.
2021 Picardy
Boisé
Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
Tasting note by Ambrose Nock
The gentle influence of ten months’ maturation in fine French oak distinguishes Picardy’s Boisé blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon from its unwooded blend. Fifty percent of the wine is aged in oak, providing attractive leesy and creamy complexity, while the remaining fifty percent is vinified in stainless steel, thus maintaining fruit purity and structure.
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The 2021 vintage shows more stone fruit – white peach and nectarine - than tropical fruit together with an appealing hint of cumquat.
Best served not too cold, so as to experience the full expression of flavours.
This elegant and classy wine is a Sauvignon blend for Chardonnay lovers.
2022 Picardy
Chardonnay
Tasting note by Ambrose Nock
The 2022 vintage has reached a whole new level, displaying an incredible depth of flavour without over-the-top richness.
Nectarine and white peach notes are there, though more subtle than usual. Filling that space is a fine citrus line, transitioning on the palate into ethereal creamy notes: the essence of complex Chardonnay. These reach all corners, lasting on the palate much longer than they have any given right to.
Lower than average yields, careful stirring of the lees, 40% whole bunch
and subtle changes to Picardy’s impressive oak regime all contribute to the story.
The remainder can be put down to a vintage that had the sun thrown
over it, enabling this seductive and thrilling Chardonnay to blossom.
2021 Picardy
Pinot Noir
Tasting note by Ambrose Nock
Already radiating with pleasure, the gentle weather of 2021 has translated into a wine of up-front drinkability and charm.
Slightly floral, showcasing red fruits at this stage: raspberries, strawberry compote and signature sour cherries. Stylistically more old world than new.
Wedged between two bolder years, this year’s Estate Pinot has an innately refined, feminine beauty to it. As such, while never intended to catch your eye as the boldest piece of art in the gallery, its complexity and refinement will hold your gaze the longest.
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2020 Picardy
TÄ—te de Cuvée Pinot Noir
Tasting note by Ambrose Nock
Revealing layer after layer, each sip of the exceptional 2020 Tête de Cuvée
is akin to another turn of the kaleidoscope.
At first glance there's an abundance of red fruits, cinnamon, patchouli and confectionery nuances. At a deeper frequency lies darker fruits,
spiced plum and undergrowth.
Fine integration of tannin and subtle oak are folded in for good measure.
Offering a new level of contemplative pleasure, the near perfect
2020 vintage reveals the wonderful attributes of this treasured parcel
of hand-tended fruit.
This year's release will take a little more hunting down than usual,
with production down about 30%. I implore you to make the effort, as
this is a standout Tête.
There is something very special here; I’m smitten.
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2021 Picardy
Shiraz
Tasting note by Ambrose Nock
Delightfully floral and pretty on the nose, the 2021 vintage has delivered an elegant, medium bodied Picardy Shiraz.
Crunchy, primary red fruits dominate here: raspberries, macerated cherry and pomegranate. These transition into darker fruits, with cinnamon and an underlying old-wordly earthy, undergrowth note which add a subtle complexity to the wine.
As is often the case, you’d be hard pressed to find a more balanced, graceful Shiraz than this. Another beauty.
2019 Picardy
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Tasting note by Ambrose Nock
A friendly and inviting right bank blend of 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc, showing a plentitude of rich and fleshy primary fruits.
There is a wide spectrum of flavours here, ranging from bright red fruits, through to black currants, star anise and a hint of tomato leaf.
The oak is subtle, content in the back seat, whilst the refreshing acidity takes the steering wheel and fine-grained, chalky tannins watch from the passenger side.
An excellent expression of right bank style, this would make an exceptionally fine dance partner through winter or, of course, much longer if you wish.
2018 Picardy
Merlimont
Tasting note by Erin Larkin
24 months in seasoned French oak. WA is fortunate, in that there has been a (long) string of excellent vintages, (each carrying its own attributes) over the past couple of decades.
2018 will perhaps go down as one of the greatest among them, for its seemingly unending ability to produce perfectly ripe, powerful and balanced grapes, and therefore wines. This is absolutely no exception to that, and may go down as one of the greatest Merlimonts yet.
Soft, zen and perfectly ripe fruit has tannins that seem to be seamlessly countersunk; the acid a current of electricity that brings light, and the oak an invisible structure that holds it all in shape. Again, the texture is the standout here, smooth, rolling… viscous, even.