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Media Reviews

2009 Chardonnay

 

John Jens, Western Suburbs Weekly, 22 Jun 2010
"From 20-year-old Porongup vines, this is young, soft, subtle, fresh and very long. It is ripe yet restrained. The almost opulent cool area ‘spreading’ and dense fruit flavours are in complete harmony with the fine, silky and texturing tannins. Marvellous and their best WA chardonnay to date."

18.5 points

 

 Tim Wildman MW, August 2010

"This joint venture between Pascal Marchand, a Burgundian, and Jeff Burch, Howard Park, was new to me when I tasted the wines at Howard Park's tasting room in Margaret River. I have to confess to being utterly seduced by both of these wines; the chardonnay displays an exotic, perfumed note that seems to extend beyond the sensory boundaries normally occupied by fruit and oak, a sort of ultra-sensory experience that appeals to the senses and the mind, and are both alluring and delicious but also hard to pin down and define. I'm told that Pascal bottles according to biodynamic principles, well whatever he does has brought an 'X' factor to these varietals that all too often become familiar experiences. Similarly, the shiraz stands out far as exotic. Finely detailed and seductively atrtactive aromas. Both wines are light on the palate, finely detailed, pure, vivid and ultimately delicious drinking. Australia: more like this please!"

 

 

Liz Mencel, Cravings Magazine, Winter 2010 Edition

"Try the beautifully complex Marchand & Burch Porongurup Chardonnay 2009. This wine has a lovely perfumed nose of citrus, blossom an spicy oak. It fills the mouth with softly texured citrus and white peach, underpinned with minerality and savoury, nutty French oak with a long, enjoyable finish.

Try also the Marchand & Burch Mount Barrow Pinot Noir 2009, a new release with a very promising future."

 

Ray Jordan, West Weekend, The West Australian, October 2010

"...fabulous limited edition wine. Restrained and tightly wound palate with deep complexity that evolves after the opening attack of floral brioche and light white peach influence. The crisp, fine, minerally grapefruit palate, with its bone-dry finish, takes you to the heart of Burgundy."

97 Points

 

 

Chris Shanahan, The Canberra Times

Well, the 2009 Chardonnay sourced from a cool, south-facing slope in Porongurup, killed our preconceptions stone, cold dead. What a beautiful wine - so delicate but powerful and perfectly balanced...For delicacy and purity, the Chardonnay relies on gentle, whole-bunch pressing and a short period of settling before being racked to oak barrels for a spontaneous primary fermentation. Half of the wine underwent a natural malolactic fermentation. The Chardonnay matures on yeast lees in barrel for 11 months, with individual barrels selected for the final blend. ...they're worthy of comparison with the best...

 

 Huon Hooke, Good Living, Sydney Morning Herald, January 2011

“A collabarartion between Jeff Burch of Howard Park and Burgundy winemaker Pascal Marchand. A powerful, wonderfully deep and multi - layered chardonnay with grapefruit, peach and tropical aromas, touches of toasty oak and barbecued meats. Superb. Now to 2016. 95/100. Food: Roast Chicken. Indulge Yourself"

 

 

 

Paul McArdle, Box Magazine, Summer 2010

"The 2009 Marchand & Burch Chardonnay is described as "a collaboration of two old friends from different lands that share a love of wine." Boy does it show - both the passion and craft of two very thoughtful wine identities, Pascal Marchand from Burgundy and Jeff Burch from Howard Park Wines. A restrained wine, it manages to be understated but also generous and dense, fine and stately with complex mealy undertones and piercing grapefruit/lemon briskness. Its 'old world' intruige blended with 'new world' vivacity. This is a very smart wine indeed."

 

 Ian Cook, FWC

"This is the first stage of a joint venture between Canadian-born and Burgundian-trained Pascal Marchand and the Burch family, who owns Howard Park and MadFish Wines. This is the second release of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sourced from the Porongurup and Mount Barker subregions of the Great Southern and Shiraz from the Frankland River/Margaret River. The Chardonnay in particular, is outstanding.

Recently, I tasted all the Marchand and Burch new release wines. The chardonnay was clearly a standout. Restrained nose with tight nectarine, minerals and flint. The palate is a revelation – very Burgundian in its makeup: lots of flint, minerals – quite linear with elegant, piercing stone fruit notes, great texture, precision and freshness. They tell me the wine is left on lees but not stirred and this keeps the wine very fresh. One of the best Australian chardonnays I have tasted. Last years sold out quickly - don’t wait."

 

 

Angus Hughson, Qantas Magazine, February 2011

"Howard Park meets Burgundy in a complex, multi-layered, highly refined offering. Pristine and pure with grapefruit, stony flavours lifted by creamy barrel ferment characters and chalky acidity, it is more-ish and superb now with a plate of oysters."

 

 Rob Broadfield, West Weekend, The West Australian, December 2010

"The Marchand & Burch chardonnay is a sexy Australian in French couture. The French made Aussie is austere, minerally, tight and as Chablis-like as you're likely to get in an Australian chardonnay."

 

 

 

Huon Hooke & Bob Campbell MW, 'Top 100 New Releases', Gourmet Traveller Wine, February 2011

"Very powerful and complex, with chicken-stock, roasted-nut, grapefruit and peach flavours. The acidity is heightened and crisp, its tang cutting through the richness. It has a very long finish: a superb chardonnay."

95 Points

 

 

 

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