2023 PIERRO L.T.C.
2023 Pierro L.T.C.
'A little touch of chardonnay'
History - ‘A classic’
A classic isn’t just something that is famous or distinctive from a past era. It’s something that continues to be relevant and useful outside the specific time it was created. In 1979 Mike Peterkin produced Australia’s first Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. Working at Cullen’s at the time, the wine went on to win a trophy at the Perth Royal Show. He never claimed any originality for the idea, he simply borrowed it from the French. In 1980 he was so convinced of the blend’s potential in Margaret River he devoted a third of the Pierro plantings to the varieties. The L.T.C. has been judged over the last 40 years as not only the first, but as the one of the best in its class. A wine of place, of time and of the people who brought the style to Australia. In the words of Coco Chanel: “Fashion fades, style remains”
Vineyard
Parcels of fruit are hand-picked from several blocks in the Willyabrup sub-region. The oldest vines were planted in 1980 with the youngest planted in 2006. All vines are considered mature and are grown in the gravelly loam granite soils so prevalent in the Willyabrup valley. 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.
Winemaking
Each parcel is hand-picked, chilled, hand-sorted and whole bunch pressed. There are multiple picks for this wine. With the first batches being picked for aromatic complexity and acidity, and the latter being picked for flavour and texture. Each batch is kept separate and inoculated with different yeasts depending on the variety and date picked. During this time a quarter of the wine is fermented in French oak barriques for 2-3 months for mouthfeel and texture. These different elements combine as a whole to provide an incredible amount of complexity to the final wine. The separate batches are then combined and left on fermentation lees for 3-4 months prior to bottling.
Varietal content
Semillon - gives the wine the ability to mature gracefully (50%)
Sauvignon Blanc - delicate perfumed aroma and youthful fresh flavour (43%)
Chardonnay - completes the wine providing body & power (7%)
Tasting Notes
A light dry wine, delicious when young but has the capacity and backbone to mature and develop in the bottle. Flavours of citrus, pear, green apple, melon and tropical fruit. Fresh, crisp and dry with both complexity and elegance. An ideal accompaniment to seafood and white meat dishes.
Favoured Listening
Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, Ballet Suite, Dance Of The Reeds
As light and lively as the wine itself, gorgeous floral notes and a familiar, approachable rhythm. It also has a surprisingly long finish.
2023 L.T.C
Such a good year for white varieties and this consisently first-rate wine has delivered again, but with the addition of even more natural crunchy vibrant fruit thanks to the vintage. The palate is more intense than previous vintages but still with that structure and precision that comes with the approach of using a combination of semillon and sauvignon, with a light touch of chardonnay. This really is a terrific wine. A cracker.
95/100 - Ray Jordan - WA Wine Review 2024
2022 L.T.C
The 2022 L.T.C. is the product of a warm and excellent vintage in Margaret River. Here, the wine is complex and piercing -precisely what it has built its reputation on. It has nashi pear, green apple and lemon pith and softer shoulders than I have seen on this wine in a long time. It's excellent, and it ages very well as well. You'll note the drinking window is still several years from now. I daresay the vast majority of bottles will be bought and consumed on the same night; however, I have looked at this wine at 10 and 20 years old, and it is a revelation. Don't be shy.
95/100 - Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
2022 Pierro L.T.C.
"Complex aromas of briar, grapefruit pith, lantana and nettle. Citrus flavours drive the palate , there's grip and texture and crunchy acidity. A multi-faceted glass of wine."
#1 Semillon Blends from Margaret River 2022
Aaron Brasher - The Real Review
2022 L.T.C
" The intensity and power of the 2022 vintage is clearly on display with this outstanding example of this distinctive and consistently outstanding blended white wine. It's Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon in raughly equal parts and with the light addiction of Chardonnay - only 5 per cent but really important to add texture and palate richness. Tingling acidity completes the wine. A cracker"
95/100 - Ray Jordan - WA Wine Review
2021 L.T.C.
" I did a vertical tasting of this wine and discovered that my cellaring dates were way off the mark. It ages a lot more than I thought. So, here's the deal- drink it now while its still fresh and delicious, but hold some back for at least 10 years when a glorious rich and complex wine awaits"
95/100 - Ray Jordan -The West Australian Wine Guide 2022
2020 L.T.C.
“Pale lemon-yellow colour. Lemongrass, honeysuckle and fumé aromas. Bright and fresh on entry, acidity works in conjunction with a light phenolic crunch to bring light and lift across the entire palate. Citrus fruit and some smoky-mineral notes fill across the length and everything shows vivid concentration long into the finish.”
95/100 Stuart Knox The Real Review
2020 L.T.C.
“This is concentrated and focused; completely balanced and refreshing. A stunning rendition of the LTC, the acidity is juicy and chewy. With the ability to age gracefully in the cellar, this is a cracker” 96/100 Erin Larkin - James Halliday Companion