About Picardy

Picardy is owned and operated by the Pannell family (Bill and Sandra and their son Dan) who established the iconic Moss Wood vineyard and winery in Margaret River in 1969. Captivated by Burgundy and Pinot Noir, the family later sold Moss Wood and established Picardy in 1993 in Pemberton, a cooler region southwest of Margaret River.

Pemberton is one of Australia’s newer wine regions with the first grapes planted in 1977. It is excellent for viticulture because of its combination of southern latitude and high altitude, which create a relatively cool climate. This provides the grapes with a sustained ripening period.

The Picardy site was selected for its high altitude and well-drained loam/gravel soils. Picardy was named after a region east of Paris. A wine merchant and family friend noted that many of the great wines and wine regions have names beginning with the letter “P”, including Pomerol, Petrus, Pauillac and Pommard. Picardy strives to continue this tradition of winemaking quality and excellence.

The philosophy at Picardy is that great wines are made in the vineyard and are only finessed in the winery. All wines are handled gently. Wines are all dry grown, hand-picked, estate-grown and family-run, with three generations of the Pannell family living on the property.

Bill is a doctor-winemaker who first learned about wine from his pediatrics professor. He and his wife Sandra, pregnant at the time, began planting vines at the Moss Wood property in 1969 even while continuing work as a local doctor. His son Dan grew up working on the vineyard and completed a Bachelors of Science (Oenology) at The University Of Adelaide.

Wine at Picardy is produced in special tanks, designed by Bill and Dan, which can be used as open or closed fermenters. For example, they can be closed during cold maceration to prevent must oxidation, and opened for hand plunging during fermentation.

With minimal transfer time between vineyard and winery (farthest point being about 500 yards) the fruit is presented to the winery in pristine condition.

All red wines are hand plunged (a rigorous regime of plunging every 4 hours around the clock) to give the softest extraction of tannins from the skins and seeds while still achieving maximum color and flavor. These wines are then matured for twelve months in French oak barriques (Tonellerie Meyrieux Fils) ranging from new to four years old.

Picardy practices at every opportunity to be environmentally friendly from guinea fowls running free to canopy management.