The 2008 Nebbiolo has a pale to medium garnet color and begins to show more perfume with notes of kirsch, ripe raspberries, violets, oolong tea, anise and a whiff of Provence herbs. Full, fleshy and crisp, it has very firm tannins and a long chewy finish. Just approachable now, it should cellar to 2017+. Stephen Pannell not only has wine in his blood (his parents owned Moss Wood and now Piccardy in Western Australia) but he has spent considerable time working in the wineries of Bordeaux, Burgundy and South France not to mention some of Australia’s biggest names: Seppelt, Knappstein and Hardys. He’s now doing his own thing in McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills and producing some inspired wines these days with an emphasis on producing stellar Grenache whilst also trying his hand at a personal passion, that elusive grape Nebbiolo. Importer: Epicurean Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 923-1376