2022 Picardy Estate Pinot Noir

95 Points - Ray Jordan
A 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. The palate has a density and life yet with medium to light body. Layered and detailed throughout to a sustained long finish. Make sure you decant to allow the sweet fruit characters to release.

95 Points - Cassandra Charlick, Wine Pilot
This is a portrait of the vineyard and a picture of juicy, ripe, perfectly formed berries. 11 clones are now producing fruit for this wine, and they are showing in this mid-weight and concentrated wine. Morello cherry, satsuma plum, mulberry skin and black-skinned plum-like dusty spice. There’s a fine dusting of cocoa powder and an ever-changing, savoury undercurrent. Winter leaves, petrichor and black, fertile earth. Wow, just wow. The fruit intensity is eye-bulgingly exciting and makes you sit up straight. This is a fine Pinot, focused on the purity of fruit, great oak, and one that will continue to develop for many years. Velvety tannins, long and nubile acidity, finger-laced spice, and a graphite minerality that goes on and on. It’s just sublime, and the finish wraps and tugs at the heartstrings with its red earthy and ferrous finale.

From the Producer:

The first wine produced at Picardy was the 1996 Pinot Noir. Picardy Pinots exhibit finesse and complexity, inspired by the great Pinot Noir wines of the old world.

Excellent fruit intensity, structure, pH to acid relationship and fine-grained tannins guarantee long life and excellent bottle development. The wines are also very approachable in their early years.

Since the first vintage in 1996, an increase in new clonal plantings and an advance in vine age has resulted in wines of greater texture, structure and complexity. Picardy Pinot Noir consists of 11 clones: upright, droopy (existing clones in Australia) and clones 114, 115 and 777 (which are special selections from the University of Dijon) as well as 6 new clones imported from Burgundy. It took 21 years - from the time Bill supervised the sourcing of these clones - until the last one was finally delivered to Picardy from quarantine in 2011.