A while back I got to try a sip of this interesting Australian gem. Since 1993, the Pannell family (more well-known for their work at Moss Wood) has poured much of their recent energy into producing world-class wines under the Picardy label in Pemberton, Western Australia. It's a rare find in the USA.
Pemberton is just south of one of the world's greatest surfing destinations: Perth. And while many flock to this region for the waves, the Pannells are here for the dirt. The fruit is from home vineyards planted on gravel-loam soil; the vines are dry-farmed and near the ocean. The cooler breezes near the ocean translate to a longer ripening period in the vineyard. The wine is aged in carefully-sourced oak. They have a variety of oaks and toasts, but work mostly with one cooper in Burgundy.
Pemberton is relatively new compared to Australia's older wine regions such as Barossa. The first vines went down in Pemberton in 1977- more than a century after James Busby's famous early plantings in South Australia.
Picardy Merlot-Cabernet 1998 (Pemberton, Australia)
savory aromas of green pepper that you find in cooler climate cabernet, but incredibly rich and dense on the palate. I tried this at 14 years of age and it still had a lot of life left in it! Really a marvel of what Western Australia is capable of-- especially since, in 1998, the vines were less than a decade old.
Pemberton is just south of one of the world's greatest surfing destinations: Perth. And while many flock to this region for the waves, the Pannells are here for the dirt. The fruit is from home vineyards planted on gravel-loam soil; the vines are dry-farmed and near the ocean. The cooler breezes near the ocean translate to a longer ripening period in the vineyard. The wine is aged in carefully-sourced oak. They have a variety of oaks and toasts, but work mostly with one cooper in Burgundy.
Pemberton is relatively new compared to Australia's older wine regions such as Barossa. The first vines went down in Pemberton in 1977- more than a century after James Busby's famous early plantings in South Australia.
Picardy Merlot-Cabernet 1998 (Pemberton, Australia)
savory aromas of green pepper that you find in cooler climate cabernet, but incredibly rich and dense on the palate. I tried this at 14 years of age and it still had a lot of life left in it! Really a marvel of what Western Australia is capable of-- especially since, in 1998, the vines were less than a decade old.
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