Walsh & Sons Burnside Chardonnay 2017
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Enthusiast
Wine - Vinous
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Spirits
Wine &
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
A well-rounded barrel fermented Chardonnay that is lemon in color & slightly cloudy. Aromas of yellow apple, sea breeze and salty nuttiness. Bright acidity and texture on the palate with a long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The latest vintage of Ryan Walsh's top tier Chardonnay is as joyous to drink as the previous one, although it feels less age-worthy and a little more rustic in style. Lemon hued and slightly cloudy, it offers up heady aromas of bruised apple, nougat, salted nut and oyster shell. The seaside vibes continue on the palate, where the tangy fruit and bright acidity harmonize with a slippery texture and ocean spray saltiness.
Editors' Choice -
Vinous
Limpid yellow-gold. Pungent pear skin, Meyer lemon and chamomile qualities on the highly perfumed, mineral-inflected nose. Chewy and taut on the palate, offering nervy citrus and orchard fruit flavors along with hints of beeswax and sweet butter. Concentrated yet lithe in style, showing fine definition and minerally cut on the long, focused finish.
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Wine & Spirits
Ryan Walsh and Freya Hohnen grow this chardonnay in Burnside, on a hill above the Margaret River, close to the sea, where Hohnen’s father, David, planted the vines in 1981. They press the juice to barrel (about 30 percent of the oak is new), and then leave it to ferment and age on its own. Their 2017 is flinty and tense, hinting at rose scents, with the flavor of a peach just coming into ripeness. The finish is skinny, mineral-leesy and bright, suggesting this will age well.
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.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
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.