Winery: Picardy
Region: Pemberton WA
Variety: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Vintage: 2009
Your Wine Guy says:
Deep ruby colour. Raspberry, vanilla, some blackcurrant/cassis notes dominate the nose with delightful freshness for a wine with a cork closure. The flavours of red berries mingling with dark berry fruit and some beautifully integrated oak coat the palate, supported by some fine tannins giving a silky finish. Long lasting flavours, a great example of how good a Merlot dominated wine can be.
95 Points YWG Drink to 2018+
Critics say:
“I tasted this quickly last night before I left the office and it showed a lot of promise. I’ll taste it again too, over a longer period, as they always send two bottles of each wine due to its cork closure.
Some gum leaf and citrus rind, juicy boysenberry and blackcurrant fruit and subtle vanilla oak – perhaps a little raspberry. Medium weight with silky tannin, slightly high acidity, but distinguished by its line, balance and length. ‘Poise’ is a good word to use here. Charming now, with room for further improvement.”
92+ Points Drink 2013 to 2019 Gary Walsh, The Wine Front Aug 2011
The winemaker says:
Picardy Merlot/Cabernet is a blend of approximately 40% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.
This is a wine in the style of the Merlot dominant St Emilion/Pomerol region - fruity but elegant and with excellent structure which will reward cellaring.
The outstanding features of this wine are its structure, fine grained tannins, low pH without high acidity, excellent colour and pronounced fruit flavours. It should drink superbly for up to twenty years. - Picardy Wines
Winery Information:
All wines bearing the Picardy label are made entirely from fruit grown on the Picardy vineyard and are vintaged and bottled by the Pannell Family (well known for establishing Moss Wood and also co-pioneering Margaret River as a wine region). The red wines are noted for their vibrant colours and intensity of fine-grained tannins. The Chardonnay is produced in a delicate, refined style in keeping with the great wines of Burgundy. These wines all have pronounced structure and intense flavour. They are made to be drinkable in their youth and yet will age beautifully for many years.
Independent reviews are consistently high for all wines. With respect to the Chardonnay and Pinot wines, Bill has brought to Pemberton superior clones as used in prized Grand Cru Burgundy vineyards. They also import their own specially prepared French oak barrels. These latter aspects further add to the unique and exciting experience Picardy offer wine enthusiasts.
The Pemberton region: Being higher in altitude and influenced by the southern ocean breezes, Pemberton is much cooler than Margaret River. This explains why it is so ideal for Burgundy style wines made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Yet paradoxically, it can produce brilliant Northern Rhone style and St Emilion Bordeaux style wines too, as the Pemberton region is prone to long Indian summers that allow the Shiraz and Cabernet Merlot varieties extra time to achieve full ripeness.