Pierro Vintage Reserve (VR) Chardonnay 2020

"Since the mid 1980s Mike Peterkin has crafted a chardonnay of not only monumental power, but of simultaneously smooth and silky delivery. Pierro Chardonnay is the role model for so many of Australia's more opulent and hedonistically proportioned chardonnays and is a stunning expression of Margaret River chardonnay"  Jeremy Oliver

Mike Peterkin established the Pierro Vineyard in Willyabrup in 1980. This small family winery has crafted some of Margaret River's most exciting and stylish wines in the subsequent 43 years. Their Chardonnay is simply monumental and is one of Australia's iconic wines. The Vintage Reserve (VR) Chardonnay is made only in exceptional vintages and is a selection of the best 10 barrels that Pierro produces. 100% of the VR is from gin-gin clone chardonnay. 

"I remember tasting this great chardonnay on release, thinking I wonder how that will be in a few years. Well, now I know. Bloody marvellous. This captures so much of the character of this excellent although small Margaret River vintage. It's delicate yet it has so much power driving through on the palate. Butterscotch and white peach with an edge of nectarine work in harmony. Starting to show subtle traces of development, but here is still plenty to go."  Ray Jordan

"The thing is with wine you only have one chance each year to refine and improve what you do. This also demands a careful balance between tradition and change. So it can take many years to build a body of knowledge. I first made Chardonnay in 1980 and I hope this wine expresses the 40 years of accumulated experience and heritage. We have matured this wine for 4 years in bottle for you and it is ready to drink now. It will also continue to age gracefully for a further 6 years if cellared in cool conditions at 14-16 degrees."  Pierro

Expert reviews

"I remember tasting this great chardonnay on release, thinking I wonder how that will be in a few years. Well, now I know. Bloody marvellous. This captures so much of the character of this excellent although small Margaret River vintage. It's delicate yet it has so much power driving through on the palate. Butterscotch and white peach with an edge of nectarine work in harmony. Starting to show subtle traces of development, but here is still plenty to go. Cellar: 10 years."  Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine - 98 points

"It's a good day when I get to taste this wine. I think it's routinely a superb expression of Margaret River Chardonnay and represents pure drinking pleasure. It’s not so easy to get your hands on, though; it’s only for the savvy amongst us. On the nose of this 2020 Vintage Reserve Chardonnay are salted crushed cashews, al dente yellow peach, ocean breeze, Pink Lady apples, pink grapefruit, sea salt and long, rippling, undulating length of flavor. This is a superb wine, possessed of the naturally high acid of the Gingin clone, the explosive fruit power of the same and a jetstream of flavor through the finish. Excellent. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink: 2023-2035."  Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate - 97 points

"It’s interesting that Leeuwin Estate Art Series used to be a much bolder wine, though it’s now moved to being much finer in style, while still offering plenty of power. Meanwhile, Pierro, albeit from a different part of Margaret River to LEAS, is sticking to the knitting with its VR offering. I admire both approaches, so you can have your cake and eat it, so to speak, finances permitting.

Ripe lemon and lime, nectarine and pineapple, ginger and baking spice, nougat, pastry dough and aniseed. It’s a veritable powerhouse when it comes to flavour, floods the mouth, but also has a core of bright limey acidity through salted cashew, shortbread and brittle toffee richness. Chalky and flinty too, with extreme length. Oh, the power and the passion. Incredible Chardonnay. Drink: 2024 - 2035+."  Gary Walsh, The Wine Front - 97 points

"Bright mid yellow-green colour, the bouquet pungent and powerful, attention-getting and buttery, with quite assertive spicy oak. The palate offers a gorgeous array of flavours, with buttery croissant, shortbread and bread crust, side-notes of lime and lemon, the bottle-aged characters really starting to be obvious and deliciously more-ish. A gorgeous chardonnay which is in the zone now. Classic, full-throttle regional-style chardonnay. Drink: 2024 to 2035."  Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 96 points

Pierro VR chardonnay

Mike Peterkin had initially intended to specialise in Riesling, so it was a tad fortuitous that Chardonnay became Pierro's most famous wine. His vine supplier had been let down on a large order of Chardonnay rootstock, approximately 5000 cuttings, and offered them to Mike at a cut price. In order to help him out he agreed to take them.

It turned out to be an inspired decision. Today Pierro is amongst the finest Chardonnays in the region and seeing as Margaret River is indisputably Australia's premier Chardonnay producing region, this is a major honour. Innovation and location have been the key factors in developing the quality of the Pierro chardonnay.

The Chardonnay vineyard is of particular interest, planted at between 4,000 and 5,500 vines per hectare (compared to a conventional Australian vineyard of 1,900 per hectare), making it the first high-density planting of its kind in Margaret River. 

Today there are five distinct blocks of Chardonnay on the property in Willyabrup, with the average vine age reaching 30 years. 90% of the Pierro Chardonnay is the Gin-Gin clone which has proven itself to produce the best quality wine and one that has been particularly successful in Margaret River. Each block features unique high-density narrow rows on rocky soil that slope down to the Willyabrup Brook and are orientated to the west and north. 

VR Chardonnay Blocks

Parcels of fruit for the Vintage Reserve (VR) Chardonnay are handpicked from the north facing slopes of the Chardonnay vineyard. Each block features unique high-density narrow rows on rocky soil that slope down to the Willyabrup Brook. All vines are mature (over 30 years old), low yielding, with the canopy pruned so the fruit rests close to the earth. This leads to a lower quantity of higher quality, balanced fruit on each vine, rich in concentration and flavour. All vineyard parcels are situated within 3km of the coast and are influenced by the maritime climate and fresh, pure ocean sea breezes prevalent during the growing season. The vineyards are managed to maximise fruit, leaf and cane exposure to sunlight; minimise wind damage in the spring and heighten flavour development in the summer ripening period. 100% of the VR is from gin-gin clone chardonnay, which has proven itself to produce the best quality wine in Margaret River. 

Winemaking

Each parcel is hand-picked, chilled, hand-sorted and gently whole bunch pressed. There are multiple picks for this wine, the first batches being picked for aromatic complexity and acidity and the latter picked for flavour and body. All juice is settled and then fermented in French barriques. The wine goes through a full malolactic fermentation which helps achieve superior texture, mouth feel and a more refined, persistent flavour. Lees are stirred fortnightly by hand in barrel over a period of 12 months prior to blending, settling and bottling. The VR is a selection of the best 10 barrels that Pierro produces and is made only in exceptional vintages. 

Mike Peterkin

Mike Peterkin is a medical practitioner as well as a fully qualified viticulturist and winemaker. He juggled the two demanding vocations for 25 years before finishing up his duties as a country doctor to devote his energies full-time to perfecting his wines. 

One of the region's many winemaking doctors, he was among the first to be qualified in oenology. After graduating in medicine from the University of Western Australia in 1973 at the age of 24, Mike decided that his love of wine and winemaking could not be ignored any longer. He attended South Australia's Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1976 and 1977 and gained a Diploma in Oenology.

Returning from his studies at Roseworthy, he was appointed winemaker at Cullen in 1978. He transformed the estate’s reputation by producing Australia’s first Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend – a style for which Margaret River, in particular, is now famous (and which Mike continues to make with his sensational LTC). From 1978 to 1981, he also made wines at Enterprise Wines in Clare and Alkoomi in Western Australia's great southern region.

In 1980, while working as a consultant winemaker, he established the Pierro Vineyard. In March 1983 Pierro released its first vintage from the vineyard; a Blanc de Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. 

During this busy time in his life he could be forgiven for forsaking medicine, but in 1982, he managed to complete a postgraduate degree in obstetrics and gynaecology and postgraduate work in anaesthetics.

The text below is taken from an article titled 'Behind the Scenes at Pierro' by Ben Pearson 

If you only met Mike Peterkin briefly, it would be easy to think of him as cantankerous, gruff, perhaps. But then, you’ll notice there’s a mischievous twinkle in his eye – laughing at a private joke, one that you may never quite get. Quiet, modest yet undeniably talented, he is one of the most enigmatic people I’ve ever met. Unbelievably particular, it is Mike Peterkin’s attention to detail and insistence on doing things just so that has put Pierro on the fine wine map.

Little has changed at Pierro since Mike first started making the wines in the 1980s. The winemaking approach is supremely sensible – a balanced, scientific style that is detailed, measured. Having witnessed the faulty wines first produced in the region, a style now echoed by some of those within the natural wine movement, Pierro holds itself to an extraordinarily high standard. In two months’ work, I saw four barrels of wine poured literally down the drain, as they weren’t up to scratch, having low levels of VA (volatile acidity). The grapes are sorted meticulously (with sorting at bunch and berry level for the reds) and gently pressed. The wines are inoculated for fermentation, sulphured lightly and fined before bottling; this may not be the most fashionable way to make wine today, but it’s clear when tasting through Pierro’s range that it works.

And, above anything else, Mike Peterkin is not a man who gives in to fads or fashions. As the trend for reductive, struck-match-scented Chardonnays took Australia by storm, Pierro stayed true to its style. Its Chardonnay remains a voluptuous, rich, buttery beast that goes through 100 percent malolactic, aged in 50 percent new oak. Yet in amongst all that richness, there is a line of taut acidity, and a purity of fruit that makes it supremely drinkable and deliciously age-worthy. There is a reason that Langtons classifies Pierro’s Chardonnay as 'outstanding'. 

About the winery

Pierro, situated in the stunning Willyabrup sub-region of Margaret River, was acquired by Dr Mike Peterkin in 1979. The 65 acres of beautiful undulating bushland was chosen due to its north facing slopes, gravelly loam soils and the Willyabrup brook, which flows through the entire property.

Mike, a medical practitioner and qualified viticulturalist and winemaker, planted the first vines in September 1980. By 1985, 11 acres had been planted with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, and Pinot Noir. The Medoc varietals, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc came later. Today, just under 20 acres are planted to vines.

The Chardonnay vineyard is of particular interest, planted at between 4,000 and 5,500 vines per hectare (compared to a conventional Australian vineyard of 1,900 per hectare), making it the first high-density planting of its kind in Margaret River. There are several plantings that have followed since 2000, but it remains a rare formation today. The Pierro Chardonnay has stayed true to style over the years; it remains opulent and hedonistically proportioned and goes through a full malolactic fermentation.

Peterkin was the first in Margaret River to make a Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blend. This was in 1979, while he was making wine for Cullen, and the wine then went on to win a trophy at the Perth Royal Wine Show. It has since become one of the region's strongest and most distinctive wine styles. Mike never claimed any originality for the idea, he simply borrowed it from the French. What he did do was create a new style which emphasized aroma, freshness and fruit character. The Pierro LTC Semillon Sauvignon was launched in 1989.

This small family winery has crafted some of Margaret River's most exciting and stylish wines for the past 43 years. "Just as Pierrot personifies life's intricacies and passions, Pierro wine is a wonderfully complex balance of sensual and fascinating elements. In a world where mediocrity can become a pervasive norm, the wines of Pierro are a shining exception. We make no secret that care, and attention to detail and quality are our primary objectives. We hope we have paid our dues through many years of perseverance and struggle, to produce wine that incorporates land and culture. Our vineyards are farmed naturally, with sheep grazing in winter to control weeds and promote growth of clover and pasture. This is followed by organic compost as fertiliser, all of which promotes carbon storage in the soil. We seek to be efficient land-users and to respect the land. Our aim is to be at the cutting edge of wine as agriculture, art and responsible land use."  Pierro