2025 Pannell Family Chardonnay (Picardy)

95.5 Points, Barry Weinman, Weinman on Wine
This is a sophisticated wine. Complex and with a degree of richness, yet still with admirable restraint. The length of flavours is outstanding.

Stone fruit characters are the key theme running through the wine, with the winemaking influences presenting as a delicious creaminess that runs the length and breadth of the palate, thanks to the high-quality oak and supple lees work. But with air, complex almond and apricot kernel characters really build.

A powerful wine that challenges preconceptions about just how good Pemberton chardonnay can be. Great now. Balanced, complex and with a degree of subtlety, this is a New World chardonnay tipping its hat to Burgundy. 

95 Points, Ray Jordan, rayjordan.com.au
"This Pemberton Chardonnay from Bill and Dan Pannell really does capture so much about this vintage and this region. It has all the delicacy and refinement you expect from Pemberton, but there is a gradual build-up of intensity, which is clearly evident on the palate. 

Lightly fragrant floral nuances on the nose, with very subtle cashew nuttiness and a faint citrusy contribution. The palate is a little deceptive in that it seems quite light, and yet the intensity builds and drives with some purpose through to a sustained finish. It's a most appealing wine of impeccable breeding."

Tasting note by Ambrose Nock:
"As the first white wine made under the Pannell Family label, this exciting new Chardonnay release looks set to follow the path forged by their Pinot Noir in offering both high quality and exceptional value. Made from a parcel of estate grown fruit from the Picardy site.
Stone fruit leads the palate in abundance, with honeysuckle, ginger and some back-end citrus pith adding detail and nuance. The oak and bâtonnage influence is scaled back, allowing the purity and length of the fruit to shine. 

This is a fine debut, both elegant and friendly (and somewhat coquettish!), whilst being very much in the Picardy house style."