Price:	QTY:
Pierro Margaret River Chardonnay 2006 All class from start to finish. At first it opens quite restrained with grapefruit, lemon and nutty oak just popping through. The palate is dripping in intensity with layers of white fruits, beautiful texture and lovely mouthfeel. 95 points Anthony D'Anna Dr Michael Peterkin is another of the legion of Margaret River medical practitioners who, for good measure, married into the Cullen family. Pierro is renowned for its stylish white wines, which often exhibit tremendous complexity. The Chardonnay can be monumental in its weight and complexity. James Halliday One of the most distinguished of a band of striking wines from the Margaret River region and which achieved great acclaim during the second half of the 1980s. The style is invariably complex, concentrated and powerful, with the emphasis on secondary rather than primary fruit characters. James Halliday The vineyard was originally going to be planted to Riesling, but a need for vineyard expertise and an accompanying offer of 5000 Chardonnay cuttings changed the course of Pierro's fortunes. Vineyard management is an important concern. The vines (the same Gin Gin Clone as Leeuwin Estate) are closely spaced which increases the relative humidity in the vineyard. Fruit exposure is a critical component of this practice. The vineyard is very stony which means at night the heat irradiates back into the clusters of Chardonnay effectively burning off excessive levels of malic acid. Low levels of malic acid in the Chardonnay fruit means that the complex aromas and flavours deriving from malo-lactic fermentation do not smother fruit definition. Andrew Calliard MW Pierro Chardonnay is vinified in Burgundian fashion with barrel fermentation in new French oak, lees stirring (battonage) and lees contact. This is a classically proportioned wine with extraordinary complexity and concentration. The wine has an indelible acid-cut across the mid-palate, creaminess and good length of flavour. It is sometimes quite high in alcohol, but has the balance to age. Pierro Cabernets, a classic Bordeaux blend, is also an impressive wine, but has yet to prove itself in the secondary market. The Chardonnay is considered as one of Australia’s best and attracts correspondingly good demand. Andrew Calliard MW A classic in the mould of the established Australian style. Scott Wasley, Divine Food & Wine, March-May 2004 Pierro is consistently the most powerful of Margaret River chardonnays and quite delicious in the right circumstances. Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age, Epicure, 13 April 2004 This Margaret River classic is now screw-topped.  Huon Hooke, Sydney Morning Herald January 2004