THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE

FEBURARY 17, 2008

BEAUTY IN A BOTTLE

BY PETER FORRESTAL

Pemberton is a staggeringly beautiful area and since Pat and Barbara Holt planted the tiny Lefroy Brook vineyard in 1982 much has been written about the region’s wine promise. It’s high time to celebrate Pemberton’s achievements, especially its white wines. The stars have been chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, which have intense flavour and bright, natural acidity. The best chardonnays have come from Picardy (tight structure, creamy texture, fine minerality). Pannell Family Trial are sauvignon blancs that are also eyecatching. The one red grape that does  well in Pemberton is pinot noir. The standout producer has been the Pannell family’s Picardy. I liken their wines to those of the Mornington Peninsula’s Main Ridge: restrained, ever unyielding, when young.But with food (roast duck, veal rib-eye with a deeply flavoured pinot sauce), especially after three to five years in the bottle, they are a revelation.