Marchand & Burch Village Chardonnay 2024
- 93
- $50
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Sourced from the Mount Barrow vineyard in Great Southern at an elevation of 380 metres. Fermentation in French oak: 33% new, 33% one year old, 33% older. This opens with nutty tones of nougat and almond paste before a quick prettying-up thanks to citrus blossom, grapefruit and tangy lemon. A good swirl of the glass unlocks more core fruit aromas with the addition of nectarine and yellow apple. There’s some subtle pastry dough in the background from the lees, adding interest. Altogether, a rounded and attractive perfume showing lovely complexity. The palate is bright, lifted and packed with pithy white grapefruit, lemon, almond, cedar and nectarine. There’s a good balance of tension and texture, helped by a firm line of chalky phenolics and lemony acidity which draw to solid length. I like this for its complexity, structure and linear feel. A strong release, ready to drink now.
Tom Kline is a wine writer, reviewer, presenter, and educator based in Victoria, Australia. He is the Australian correspondent for the internationally respected publications Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy and Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux, where he highlights the top tier of Australian wine for a global audience. Tom also writes for leading outlets including Decanter (UK), Wine Spectator (US), and Halliday Magazine, among others. An experienced wine show judge and WSET educator, he has authored several consumer-focused wine courses aimed at making wine more accessible and engaging. In 2023, Tom was awarded Best Published Feature Article or Wine Column at the prestigious Wine Communicator Awards, presented by Wine Communicators of Australia.
