Walsh and Sons Burnside Chardonnay 2019

 

Incredibly complex and intense nose of salted grapefruit, yellow peach.  This seamlessly morphs from concentrated and layered, to salty and exciting, through to viscose, languid, and very very long.  This drinks like a much more expensive wine, if not a touch raw currently.  With a couple of years under its belt this will be elegance and grace personified.  That salty palate though… jeez.

This wine happens in three goes:  1) the smell – there’s plenty there (curry leaf, pomegranate, stone-fruit, juniper, ginger and bay leaf); 2) the palate.  Frick.  It is saturating, salty and bloody delicious.  I have to scrunch my nose a bit each time I drink it – partly out of appreciation, partly to cope with the acid/salt mix… not unlike doing a tequila shot with lime, complete with little head shake; 3) it unfolds gracefully on the palate, wipes any idea of low-brow shots from the table, and replaces it with a white tablecloth, oaked Burgundy stemware, and a plate of fresh marron.  What a wine.  I think I’m in love.

Hand-picked, pressed straight to barrel, wild ferment.  30% new French oak.  Lees are not stirred, just topped. MLF happened naturally, some sulphur was added just prior to bottling. Unfined, unfiltered.

RRP $50

95+/100

Burnside Chardonnay 2019