Pemberton 13.0% Cork $35
Seems I’m on a run of 2006 wines at the moment. Weird. I’m a big fan of Picardy wines and when I got the chance to meet Bill Pannell a couple of years ago I was impressed with his honesty and general demeanor; he really did seem to be in this wine caper for all the right reasons and that’s something I increasingly value.
To the wine – smells damn good. Cheese, almond croissants, pesto, nectarine and butterscotch with lemon. The palate doesn’t quite live up to expectations although it does build through the line to a reasonably satisfying climax with spice, toast and citrus rind joining the other flavours. The problem is, it’s a touch too dull and flabby. There’s still just enough acidity and minerality to brighten the corners, but not enough to give the wine real definition.
I do enjoy the way secondary flavours are in sync with the primary fruit. Judging from this bottle (and it’s under cork, so that’s always a questionable thing to do) I’d be drinking this now. Good, and enjoyable enough, but I’ve had much better, brighter Picardy Chardonnays.
Winery website- http://www.picardy.com.au/
Sounds very much like a bottle that I tried some months ago. You didn't buy any chance pick it up at 1st Choice? I wonder if these wines, which tend to sit around, get a bit light sick or something.
I keep hearing good things about Picardy Chardonnay, but the bottles that I've tried (3 across various vintages) have all been a bit so so.
And then there's the cork as you rightly say. Who knows?
MichaelC
Michael- this was purchased from 1st Choice about two years ago. From there, it had been stored decently (no light, 16 degrees) up until the aircon in my very small flat experienced problems this year, leaving the wine to endure two months of a Brisbane summer at between 20 and 24 degrees.
The cork seal had little to no seepage and seemed a good one….I just popped over to TWF and noticed CM mentioned some "fatness" in his note, so as you say, who knows?
What I can say is that I have tasted other Picardy Chardonnays, both with considerable age and young, that were in no way flabby or dull. A 2001 was served at the dinner with Bill Pannell and it had aged beautifully. Whatever the case was with this wine (and it was still a "good" wine) I still look forward to drinking more Picardys in the future.
Thanks Jeremy. I guess I'll have to wait a bit longer for my Picardy epiphany.
MichaelC