Picardy - Current Releases and More (15 May)

 

When many people think of the sort of wines that red bigots like, they usually think about big bruising red wines from warm climates like the Barossa. Whilst that is true to a certain extent, most red bigots actually enjoyed a large variety of red wine styles, including those of a more subtle and elegant nature. For example, some of the Cabernet Sauvignon from the Yarra Valley can be outstanding, and of course, many of the wines from Margaret River are also firm favourites, especially some of the smaller premium producers.

One of the unsung heroes, whose wines really rock my boat, a producer that also flies below the radar is a small winery from Pemberton called Picardy. It's a family operation which was originally started by Bill Pannell after he sold Moss Wood. Bill's son, Dan is the winemaker and is ably assisted by his wife Jodie who handles the administration and keeps Dan in line.

From my perspective (and those that know the average red bigot’s taste), what makes my love of this winery’s products even more unusual is that besides producing elegant wines, many of which are made in an unapologetically French manner, my favourite wine from this winery is also Merlot dominant.

Recently I received the new releases, three of which are from 2005, and in my opinion, they are probably their best wines to date. What makes them even more attractive is the cellar door, mailing list price for people who buy direct from the winery.

On this occasion, I was lucky enough to be able to compare some of the 2005 wines to the 2004 releases.

Picardy 2004 Tête de Cuvée May 07

The bouquet shows true varietal Pinot characters, with cherry, earthy notes, hints of varnish and boot polish, and whilst the complexity is good, the nuances are subtle. The palate is intensely savoury with sour cherry, milk chocolate, some controlled forest floor characters (it's not overly rustic), leading to a reasonably persistent, drying finish. After many hours of being open, some noticeably cedary oak characters started to emerge. Unobtrusive, silky tannins combine with fresh acid and distinct fruit to form a lean, supple wine that is both tight and elegant. It's very drinkable, even us red bigots could drink a few glasses of this; rated as Highly Recommended with *** for value, it's $40 direct from the winery and sealed with a cork. This is the wineries flagship product and the one they make to drink for their own enjoyment.

Picardy 2005 Pinot Noir May 07

The aroma was restrained even after three hours in the glass, but it did show some subtle fruit together with varnished characters and milk chocolate. Unobtrusive, silky tannins combine with lively, fresh acid to form a lean to medium-weight wine with a supple consistency and agreeable complexity. Sour cherry, milk chocolate, floral characters, and star anise flavours; together with the acid which makes the tongue dance, makes this a perfect wine for oily food. It's not the quality of the Tête de Cuvee, but then it's less expensive and terrific value. Rated as Recommended with **** for value, it sealed with a cork and costs $25 direct.

Picardy 2004 Merlot Cabernet May 07

This is the prior release of this label, but there may still be some available at the winery. After three hours in the glass, the bouquet was still closed but it was very earthy and showed some jumbled dark fruits with a hint of musk. A very cleverly balanced and constructed wine with tight, silky, unobtrusive tannins, fresh acid and pure fruit; the acid certainly wakes the palate up and makes it take notice. Musk, mulberry, dark chocolate and violet flavours are all very savoury, completely filling the palate and finishing dry. It’s medium-weight with a supple consistency and has a well-developed complexity; it shows some elegance and is still very tight. A great food-friendly wine, it's rated as Recommended with **** for value; the rating should improve as the wine matures around 2010. Sealed with cork, it's $20 from the winery.

Picardy 2005 Merlot Cabernet May 07

The 2005 has just been released. The bouquet is more serious than its predecessor. It's brooding, it’s earthy and shows little, but there is some good fruit lurking below the surface. First sip -- first impression; tight, a baby, great quality, good stuff! A medium-weight wine with a firm but supple consistency the structure is both solid and elegant. Whilst it is harmonious already, the complexity is sophisticated and the construction excellent. Tannins are unobtrusive, (although they do build up) very-fine, tight but perfectly matched to the fresh acid and pure, juicy fruit. A touch of dark chocolate leads to sour cherry, musk, star anise, loads of milk chocolate and blueberry flavours that are just delightful, off-sweet and earthy; it all lingers beautifully. Rated as Highly Recommended with ***** for value, they don't come much better than this at the price and the wine should be at its peak between about 2012-2018. Sealed with a cork, it's a measly $20 direct from the winery.

Picardy 2003 Merlimont May 07

This wine is the same as the Merlot Cabernet but spends an extra year in oak. Tannins are unobtrusive and chalky and solidly back the lean, juicy fruit. Mulberry and milk chocolate flavours finish to a very dry, sour cherry profile. Medium-weight with a soft consistency, elegant structure and harmonious complexity; this wine was not showing as well as expected and it may have had an undetectable, low level of cork taint. Rated as Acceptable with ** for value, drink over the next five years. Sealed with a cork, it's $30 direct from the winery.


Picardy 2004 Merlimont May 07

The bouquet is more expressive the 2003 showing coffee oak, mulberry, and menthol. Smooth, unobtrusive, drying tannins combine with distinct fruit to form a medium-weight, supple wine with a solid structure, and an agreeable complexity. Mulberry, milk chocolate, coffee oak and a very sour finish completes the picture. I far preferred the wine that had spend less time in oak, and it just proves that more is not necessarily better. Others will probably like the additional oak influence more than I did. Rated as Recommended with *** for value, drink from 2007 to 2012. Sealed with a cork, it's $30 direct from the winery.

Picardy 2004 Shiraz May 07

Unfortunately this bottle was corked.

Picardy 2005 Shiraz May 07

The bouquet showed delightful floral aspects, blueberries, dusty talcum powder and earthy notes. The unobtrusive, silky, tight, tannins quickly built up but were perfectly matched to the crisp acid and pure, juicy, fresh fruit. An excellent quality, medium-weight wine with a firm, solid backbone, and supple consistency, its still incredibly tight but showing signs of harmony and a well developed complexity. There is some excellent winemaking at play here which shines through in both the quality and the construction of the wine. Black cherry, liquorice, aniseed, and milk chocolate flavours savoury on the uptake with more than a hint of sweetness running in a river below; it fills the mouth finishing long and dry. Rated as Highly Recommended with **** for value, it should peak around 2012 and beyond and I kept wanting to sip more, which is always a good sign.

There are a few other pluses with the wines from Picardy. Firstly, without exception they are all well-balanced. Secondly, the house style is 100% consistent across the entire range. Whilst I'm not necessarily a great proponent of terroir, when you nose all of these wines, there is a certain consistency that goes beyond the winemaking style. Finally, they are all well-made and best of all, represent real value. Every cellar should have some Picardy wine in it, even the most diehard red bigots’!
 

Copyright © Ric Einstein 2007