30/10/2008

Sydney Morning Herald - Good Living - 28 October 2008

'A Cool Change' The Pannell family left the successful Margaret River vineyard and winery [Moss Wood] for the colder Pemberton region.  ...   The most recent [2007 chardonnay] ... is fresh, vigerous, youthful and intense, yet soft.  It really sings on the palate.  A stunner.

BILL PANNELL is a high energy guy.  A full time general practitioner, he established a vineyard and winery in his spare time.  Not just any winery either.  Moss Wood in Margaret River no less.

About 24 years later, after being bitten by the pinot noir and Burgundy bug, he sold Moss Wood and headed south to the coolest place he could find in Western Australia: Pemberton.  Here he planted pinot, chardonnay, shiraz, merlot, cabernet and sauvignon blanc.  He called it Picardy.   ...

Here are some remarks Huon made about Picardy wines:

'07 Chardonnay: "...a stunner."

Sauvignon Blanc; "...is very good and the just released 2008 is clearly the best yet."

'05 Shiraz: "... is delicious in an elegant, tight, spicy style."

Pinot Noir: "... more pure ... and less manipulated... I found plenty to like in all 11 [vintages] of them.  ...The '05, '06, '07 [Tete de Cuvee] are superb. They have greater concentration of sweet fruit and are really outstanding pinots."