Picardy’s Greatest Ever
“Wow, this is something special…very special. This is at the pinnacle of the Pannell family’s quest for great pinot noir.”
- Ray Jordan
2022 Tête de Cuvée (New Release)
99 Points - Ray Jordan
“Wow, this is something special…very special. This is at the pinnacle of the Pannell family’s quest for great pinot noir. The 2020 vintage is spoken of in hushed tones, yet this one is pushing it all the way.”
2021 Tête de Cuvée (Sold Out)
97 Points - Ray Jordan, WA Wine Review 2024
”So, here’s the thing. The ’20 Tete was the wine Bill Pannell was waiting for most of his life. It was a wonderful wine. But the ’21 comes along and delivers a wine of equal class and refinement”
Taste through the two incredible Tete de Cuvees along side:
2024 Chardonnay (New Release)
2023 Pinot Noir (New Release)
2022 Pinot Noir (Sold Out)
2023 Pannell Family (Sold Out)
Hosted by Dan Pannell
Lunch: Noon, 10 Wines & 5 courses $155 - Sold Out
Masterclass: 4-6pm, 10 Wines with Nibbles $80
Dinner: 6:30pm, 10 Wines & 5 courses $155
Sunday October 5th
Context on Picardy Pinot Noir:
“The pinots in particular are consistently WA’s finest and
have proved that world class pinot can be made in this region.”
Ray Jordan
"A vanguard producer for West Australia when it comes to pinot noir."
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
The Pannell family is one of the most iconic in Australian wine, having not once but twice pioneered the vigneron model in Western Australia.
After being one of the first commercial wine producers in the now legendary and substantial Margaret River region (Moss Wood), Bill & Sandra made the shift East to the still somewhat unexplored Pemberton region, where they established Picardy Wines.
Here they focused on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with their son Dan. With such an incredible wine pedigree and a passion for Burgundy, it’s easy to understand why Dan is regarded as one of the most incredible and honest winemakers in the state.
The Wine List & Menu
1st Course
Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2024
This is nothing like your standard SBS. It takes it to another level of sophistication while retaining the vibrant fruit freshness you look for in this style. On the nose, there are lovely floral, citrusy lemon rind characters, while the palate prevails with a minerally, slightly savoury edge, filled with riper honeydew melon. Quite a complex wine with a lovely textural mouthfeel, livened by fine, precise acidity.
95 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordan.com.au
1st Course
2nd Course
Chardonnay 2024 (New Release)
There's a striking precision and fineness about a wine from a warm year that still produced excellent fruit in Pemberton. Aromas of peach and light ginger with floral, jasmine-like notes. The palate has a faintly creamy cashew complexity and a nice lift, finishing with a savoury light cashew influence.
95 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordan.com.au
Chardonnay 2023
Lovely, lifted and complex aromas of grapefruit pith, just-ripe white stone fruit, white flowers and a lick of struck match. The palate is powerful, textured and mouth-filling, with plenty of nectarine and peach at the core, along with citrus, grilled nuts and mineral tang. Long, layered and a delicious example of chardonnay. Plenty of life ahead of it
96 Points Aaron Brasher, The Real Review (June 2024)
Chardonnay 2022
This was still very tight at the time of tasting but as it breathed it opened up to reveal all that intensity and power in a deeply concentrated and supremely elegant palate. It's a fine style with an opening of lemon butter and subtle minerality. The palate has a controlled chalky character which contributes to its tight linear feel. It's from a number of different clones which have been co-fermented. Has a juicy crunchy crystalline palate feel.
96 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
2nd Course
3rd Course
Pannell Family Pinot Noir 2023
"n the Picardy stable, this cuvée is the wine that is relied upon for winemaking trials and innovations. Having said that, the wine is notoriously hard to get a hold of due to its price point and reliability.
- Erin Larkin (Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate)
Pinot Noir 2022
Here's a compelling case for holding back some of these wines. I looked at it 12 months ago, and while it was tidy and impressive then, that extra year to settle has improved it immeasurably, earning another tick from me. The aroma is floral and perfumed with cherries and plums, and the palate delivers with certainty and poise, showing slightly dried herb, leafy, and spicy nutmeg characters. bolder and immediately more powerful statement of this wine, reflecting a warm vintage. Yet the cooler Pemberton region has reigned it in nicely, providing control and precision. A savoury and slightly mushroomy aroma with primary black cherry notes.
96 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
Pinot Noir 2023 (New Release)
3rd Course
4th Course
Tête de Cuvée 2021
So, here’s the thing. The ’20 Tete was the wine Bill Pannell was waiting for most of his life. It was a wonderful wine. But the ’21 comes along and delivers a wine of equal class and refinement, but in a slightly prettier more seductive and alluring form, a product of this cooler year. Complex weave of aromas with a truffle-like subtle earth merging seamlessly with the primary dark cherry and light raspberry primary fruit characters. The palate has a deep fruit intensity, but the fine-grained oak and slightly chalky tannins pull it back to focus with precision to a long linear palate. So much promise here.
97 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
Tête de Cuvée 2022 (New Release)
Wow, this is something special…very special. This is at the pinnacle of the Pannell family’s quest for great pinot noir. The 2020 vintage is spoken of in hushed tones, yet this one is pushing it all the way. It was a little closed when tasted but you don’t have to look far to see its greatness. It’s a multi-clonal blend which contributes to its complexity and feel on so many levels. It’s exquisitely balanced and poised yet it carries an explosive payload of intensity and layered complexity.
99 Points, Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
4th Course
5th Course
Shiraz 2022
A solid and impressive shiraz from a very good season. An opening salvo of black fruits shows intensity and drive. On the nose, there's a further lift of spicy florals and red fruits with just a trace of raspberry. The palate is firm and concentrated, a powerful wine of great presence, demonstrating what can be achieved with shiraz from the cooler Pemberton region. Fine chalky tannins and silky fine oak harness this powerful fruit through to its long finish.
95 Points, Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
Merlot 2020
Approximately 40% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a wine in the style of old world Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon producing regions - 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 Tasting Notes
Merlimont 2019
This is a blend of 65% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon and 15% cabernet franc. Takes the standard wine a little deeper and a little longer with an immediately more complex and layered palate profile. It gets an extra year in older oak which obviously plays a part in its palate feel, creating a nice softening effect. A most complete wine of great style.
94 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com