This starts a series of stories about both the men and women that I met on my recent ( Feb. 2008 ) trip to both western and south Australia. It changed my whole idea about Australia and gave it life, red-white wine blood and liquid wine flesh. Fleshed-out and pulsing it leaped to life and created a full-blown, big screen series of sights, sounds, smells and textures in varying forms, colors and shapes. I was quite literally blown away - a new man was born in my body and I welcomed this good transition. The people I met really impressed me, too : both the men and the women and even the children, too. I was really happy at the end of each day there and that's largely because they took such good care of Chris Pigott and I and welcomed us into their inner sanctums.
So I start with Dan Pannell today and will of course mention both his lovely wife and two children ( a young boy and younger daughter ). We mostly saw Dan in action as he tasted us from the barrels of " new " Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. I LOVED the new 2006 Pinot Noirs siphoned up and into our thirsty wine glasses right there ( Poof! Like-magic!! ) on the spot : just Chris, Dan and myself. More personal, hands-on treatment you cannot get. It was a really hot summer day there in Pemberton but I did not feel it one bit while tasting these fabulous fresh, still growing-forming,developing character/personality Pinots.
Chris and I did get to spent a wee bit of time in the company of all four Pannells present : mom ( Sandra ) and dad ( Bill ) were on holiday I think. Chris and I had the chance to spend the night in their beautiful, bucolic, serene, country-idyllic Tuscan-inspired villa : magical. My only regret of these two days with Dan was that we did not meet his parents. That will have to wait till another time. I've heard so much about Bill that I am curious to meet him and see if we would get along? How would we mesh-our personalities? I love what he and Dan are doing with their wines: I love all the French-inspiration of theirs - in my humble opinion it elevates both Bill and Dan and their wines to a whole new level/plateau, niveau of wine that I love ).
On the second morning Dan came by and roused us and got us moving. We were taking it all in one last time, sitting in the family room when Dan's little daughter poked her head around the corner of the French doors in front of me and " peeked " inside, searching silently for her dad! When she spotted him and Dan ( facing me ) saw my surprise he turned around, opened the doors, greeted her and introduced us. She, silent, blond hair flowing down over her shoulders hugged her father's legs and smiled but did not say a word ). I loved soon after her sitting on Dan's lap as she steered the small truck and her father watched attentively and talked her steadily through the twists and the turns and she got us to the winery with nary a bump or start, just appreciation for a job well-done. We later sat in the Dan and Jodie's screened- in porch and watched them get the kids ready for school ( Jodie brushed her daughter's hair ) and the son showed a number of his assembled models of various action figures and machines. He was quite proud of them and as he showed them to us he warmed to our presence. Nice.
Dan impressed me so much with his brutal honesty about everything! It caught me so off-guard this honesty and willingness to share observations, feelings, opinions of his clearly not edited - so refreshing, so welcome, so amazing in a day and age where most everyone is guarded, vague, using words with double-entendres, rarely saying anything with any grit, grip or meaning that one can chew on and get any nourishment or satisfaction from. WOW! Thanks Dan. I will remember more the earnestness of your comments more than perhaps all the exact things you mentioned. We / you mostly talked about the wines, wine-making, the situation of wines today, the history of both your wines and that of western Australian wines, about the French inspiration started with your father, visiting Burgundy several times, your Burgundy connections, and what would -does make you happy. You're a family wine that's so clear. You adore your family and you obviously have a couple or more fishing buddies and you want nothing more that to be able to make an honest living for your family and have your better Pinot to take on fishing trips with them without running out! Jodie, do you ever go on the fishing trips with Dan?!? I'm sure the kids want to tag along Dan?
Dan, you brought the trip to yet another level for me. You really got me to thinking about the inner working mechanisms of making wine and keeping a winery afloat and profitable so that you could continue with making the best possible wines and keeping that dream alive. You talked about the sacrifices, the compromises, each of the various areas and parts involved. You really made it come alive for me on the basis of a small winery like yours that I have grown to appreciate all the more after this visit. Since returning we have tasted here in the store the 2004 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the Shiraz and Merlimont red blend 2003's.
I like your wines with a bit of bottle-age ; that's when I think they really shine. We have sold quite a few bottles during these tastings here on Saturdays at Cleveland Park Wines and Spirits. The other Saturday when Morgan Hartman was here doing a tasting of her Argentina wineries ( Susana Balbo and Mapema ) we thoroughly enjoyed a bottle of your 2004 Chardonnay and reminisced. She says " hello ".
Thanks Dan, Jodie, Bill and Sandra. Keep up the great work , the high standards and keep shooting for the stars. You're a class-act and one that I am proud to have here in our store in Washington, D.C.
I've included some of the pictures from that marvelous stay with you in Pemberton back in February, was it the 12th or 134th? Something like that.
I can't find the photos here so I will download them in the following blog this evening from home. Stay-tuned. Cheers, TONY
