Pierro Wines

2024 Pierro Chardonnay | Margaret River, WA | 98 Points

Name: 2024 Pierro Chardonnay | Margaret River, WA | 98 Points
Brand: Pierro Wines
Price: 125.00 AUD
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$125.00 AUD

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🏆 98 Points | The Australian Chardonnay That Changed Everything – And One of Margaret River's Greatest Wines!

98 Points – Ray Jordan | 97 Points - Campbellmattinson.com | 96 Points – The Wine Front | 95 Points – Halliday Wine Companion | 95 Points – The Real Review

Dr Mike Peterkin's Legendary Pierro Chardonnay – A Wine That Helped Redefine Australian Chardonnay!

2024 Pierro Chardonnay

Willyabrup, Margaret River, Western Australia

RRP $125

What happens when one of Australia's most influential Chardonnay pioneers takes fruit from an extraordinary vineyard in Margaret River and makes a wine that combines Burgundian richness with remarkable precision and freshness?

You get PIERRO CHARDONNAY!

And what an extraordinary Chardonnay this is.

I'm going to make a big statement here.

Pierro is one of the most important Chardonnays in the history of Australian wine.

Not simply because it's consistently outstanding.

But because of what Dr Mike Peterkin helped achieve with this wine.

He was producing powerful, barrel-fermented, complex Chardonnay in Margaret River at a time when the region's potential was still being discovered.

And over the decades, Pierro has become one of the great benchmarks of Australian Chardonnay.

Now we have the remarkable 2024 Pierro Chardonnay.

And look at the scores!

98 POINTS – RAY JORDAN!

96 POINTS – THE WINE FRONT!

95 POINTS – HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION!

95 POINTS – THE REAL REVIEW!

Four outstanding endorsements.

One legendary producer.

And an extraordinary Chardonnay from the heart of Margaret River.

This is exactly the sort of wine I love having at Liquid Vibe!

Pierro – One of Australia's Great Chardonnay Pioneers

The story of Pierro begins with Dr Mike Peterkin.

And he's one of the most fascinating characters in Australian wine.

Before establishing himself as a winemaker, Mike trained as a medical doctor.

But his passion for wine eventually took him in another direction.

He became one of the pioneering figures behind Margaret River's rise as a great Chardonnay region.

The Pierro vineyard was established in Willyabrup in the late 1970s.

And by the mid-1980s, Mike was developing a Chardonnay style that would become one of the most recognisable in Australia.

Rich.

Concentrated.

Beautifully textured.

Barrel-fermented.

And capable of ageing for many years.

But what made Pierro particularly remarkable was the balance.

The wines could be enormously powerful.

Yet they retained beautiful acidity, finesse and length.

This combination of richness and freshness helped establish Pierro as one of Australia's great Chardonnay benchmarks.

And almost four decades later, the wines remain extraordinary.

Here's Something Most People Don't Know – The Pierro Vineyard Was Planted at Remarkably High Density

This is one of the most fascinating details about Pierro.

When Mike Peterkin developed his vineyard, he was deeply interested in European viticultural practices.

Particularly the influence of vine spacing, competition and vineyard management on fruit quality.

Instead of simply following conventional Australian vineyard layouts, he experimented with unusually close vine spacing.

The philosophy was to encourage competition between vines, control vigour and produce fruit with greater concentration and complexity.

It was an ambitious approach.

And one that helped distinguish Pierro from many of its contemporaries.

Today, the Chardonnay comes from carefully managed vineyard blocks on the slopes above Willyabrup Brook.

The vines grow in gravelly loam soils with significant granite influence.

And the combination of mature vines, site exposure and meticulous vineyard management produces fruit with extraordinary depth.

This isn't simply great winemaking.

It's great viticulture.

And that distinction matters.

The Gin Gin Clone – The Secret Behind So Many Great Margaret River Chardonnays

Here's another fascinating detail.

Pierro Chardonnay is made predominantly from the famous Gin Gin clone.

And if you're serious about Margaret River Chardonnay, this is something you need to understand.

Gin Gin Chardonnay has become one of the defining grape selections of the region.

It's associated with the characteristic concentration, texture and natural acidity found in many of Margaret River's greatest Chardonnays.

The clone is also known for its tendency to develop small berries and uneven berry sizes within a bunch, sometimes referred to as hen and chicken.

Under suitable growing conditions, that can contribute to concentrated flavours and excellent structure.

And in the right hands, the results can be magnificent.

Think about some of the great Margaret River Chardonnays.

Leeuwin Estate.

Pierro.

Cullen.

Vasse Felix.

The influence of Gin Gin Chardonnay is central to the region's story.

And Pierro has been one of the great interpreters of this remarkable grape selection.

The 2024 Vintage – A Warm Year That Produced Something Extraordinary

The 2024 Margaret River vintage was unusually early.

Warm and dry conditions accelerated ripening across the region.

For Chardonnay, that presented an interesting challenge.

How do you retain freshness and elegance while developing the flavour concentration that makes great Margaret River Chardonnay so compelling?

At Pierro, the answer was meticulous vineyard management and exceptionally careful picking.

Rather than harvesting the Chardonnay in a single pass, the winery conducted nine separate picks.

Harvest began on 24 January 2024 and finished on 9 February 2024.

Think about that.

Nine different harvest selections.

Each parcel picked when it reached the desired balance of flavour, acidity and ripeness.

That's an extraordinary level of attention to detail.

And it helps explain why the finished wine combines beautiful concentration with remarkable precision.

Winemaking – A Masterclass in Great Chardonnay

The 2024 Pierro Chardonnay was made using a wonderfully detailed approach.

Predominantly Gin Gin clone Chardonnay.

Hand-picked fruit.

Hand-sorted bunches.

Gentle whole-bunch pressing.

Fermentation in Burgundian French oak barriques.

31% new oak.

86% malolactic fermentation.

12 months in oak.

Regular lees stirring.

Every stage is designed to build complexity while retaining the essential character of the vineyard.

And here's what makes this particularly interesting.

The 86% malolactic fermentation contributes wonderful richness and texture.

But the wine still retains beautifully vibrant acidity.

That's one of the signatures of great Pierro Chardonnay.

It can be rich and generous.

But never simply heavy.

It has power.

But also precision.

And that's a difficult balance to achieve.

Tasting Notes – White Peach, Nougat, Hazelnut and Extraordinary Length

The 2024 Pierro Chardonnay is a magnificent wine.

And the aromatics are absolutely gorgeous.

Expect:

White peach and ripe nectarine
Grapefruit and lemon zest
Fresh pear
Subtle green pineapple
Hazelnut and toasted almond
Nougat
Buttery pastry
Fine oak spice
Gentle struck-match complexity
Saline mineral notes

The palate is extraordinary.

There's wonderful stone fruit concentration.

Ripe peach.

Nectarine.

Pear.

And a little tropical fruit complexity.

Then comes the texture.

Silky.

Generous.

Beautifully layered.

The oak brings subtle nougat, toasted nuts and spice.

Malolactic fermentation contributes a lovely creamy richness.

But here's where the wine really shines.

The acidity is absolutely magnificent.

Fresh grapefruit and citrus cut through the richness.

A fine saline mineral character provides tension.

And the finish just keeps going.

White peach. Grapefruit. Hazelnut. Nougat. Fine oak spice. Flint. Saline minerality. Extraordinary length.

This is powerful Chardonnay.

But it's also beautifully controlled.

And that's what makes it so special.

Why Pierro Is Different from So Many Modern Australian Chardonnays

This is something I find particularly interesting.

Over the past two decades, Australian Chardonnay has undergone an enormous stylistic transformation.

Many producers have moved towards earlier picking, lower alcohol, less malolactic fermentation and more pronounced acidity.

And some of those wines are absolutely extraordinary.

But Pierro has never abandoned its own identity.

Mike Peterkin continues to make Chardonnay with beautiful richness and texture.

Generous fruit.

Thoughtful oak.

Malolactic complexity.

And extraordinary length.

Yet the wine also has the acidity and mineral precision needed to maintain balance.

It's a style that celebrates both power and elegance.

And the 2024 vintage is a magnificent example.

For Lovers of Great White Burgundy

If you love rich, beautifully textured white Burgundy, Pierro deserves your attention.

Particularly if you enjoy the complexity and depth of great Meursault or Puligny-Montrachet.

There's wonderful stone fruit concentration.

Toasted hazelnut.

Nougat.

Subtle buttery complexity.

Fine oak spice.

And a beautifully persistent mineral finish.

Of course, Pierro is unmistakably Margaret River.

It has its own personality.

Its own vineyard character.

And its own history.

But the quality of the winemaking and the complexity of the finished wine make it a fascinating comparison.

Cellaring Potential

One of the remarkable things about Pierro Chardonnay is its ability to age.

The combination of concentrated fruit, natural acidity, oak structure and lees-derived complexity provides excellent ageing potential.

The winery suggests the wine will begin showing its best after a few years in bottle and continue developing over the following decade.

Suggested drinking window: 2027–2037, with potential beyond under excellent storage conditions.

I'd happily open a bottle now.

But I'd also put a few away.

As it matures, the youthful peach and citrus characters should develop deeper hazelnut, honey, toasted brioche and savoury complexity.

And that beautiful acidity should continue to provide freshness.

Food Pairings

This is a magnificent Chardonnay for food.

I'd recommend:

Southern rock lobster with butter
Grilled crayfish
King George whiting
Roast chicken with truffle
Scallops with brown butter
Mushroom risotto
Roast pork
Comté or aged Gruyère

Personally, I'd love this with freshly grilled crayfish, garlic butter and lemon.

The wine's richness would complement the crayfish beautifully.

And its wonderful acidity would cut straight through the butter.

Absolutely sensational.

Why We Love It at Liquid Vibe

Because Pierro is one of Australia's genuinely great Chardonnay stories.

A pioneering winemaker.

An extraordinary vineyard.

Mature Gin Gin Chardonnay vines.

Remarkable attention to detail.

Nine separate harvest picks.

Beautifully judged oak.

Extraordinary texture.

And outstanding critical acclaim.

Look at what you're getting.

2024 Pierro Chardonnay

Willyabrup, Margaret River, Western Australia

Winemaker – Dr Mike Peterkin

Predominantly Gin Gin Chardonnay

Nine Separate Harvest Picks

31% New French Oak

86% Malolactic Fermentation

12 Months Oak Maturation

98 Points – Ray Jordan

96 Points – The Wine Front

95 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

95 Points – The Real Review

RRP $125

This is serious Chardonnay.

A wine with history.

Pedigree.

Power.

Elegance.

And extraordinary ageing potential.

If you're building a collection of Australia's greatest Chardonnays, Pierro deserves to be there.