Walsh & Sons Little Poppet Semillon/Chardonnay 2017
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This wine has natural acid backbone, pure blue eyes and dry almost red tannins from a bit of good oak.
Walsh & Sons is a family-owned winery creating small batches of wine with big personalities. By using traditional methods in the vineyard and natural winemaking techniques, the aim is to make expressive styles that are fun, youthful and different to the mainstream. The winemaking relies on the intangible senses of inspiration, intuition and innovation. By using these, they seek out a more informed expression of the vineyard whilst respecting the purity of its natural ingredients.
Ryan Walsh and Freya Hohnen have been involved in winemaking at the vineyard and winery level since childhood, having both come from wine and farming families in WA. They have traveled the globe to further our knowledge in places such as France, Spain, Switzerland and the USA. However, they agreed that home will always be Margaret River. In creating the style of wines that they do, they rely largely on technique over technology so their wines retain their raw personalities. Much is yet to be discovered in style and soil and so they make wine from grapes and label them on locality as opposed to the generalized sub regions. All of the fruit comes from family-owned vineyards in two locations; Burnside and Osmington.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
Home to some of Australia’s most elegant and long-lived red and white wines, Margaret River is situated in the farthest reaches of Western Australia. Relatively warm and dry, the region is cooled by breezes from the Indian Ocean. Margaret River takes some inspiration from Bordeaux, producing top-quality Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux Blends with firm structure, mouthwatering acidity, balanced alcohol and notes of herbs and spice. For white wines, refreshing blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon as well as complex, age-worthy Chardonnays are regional specialties.