[pinwheel]

First...why are you staining walnut?
I usually use orange shellac to warm it up but have never stained it.

I personally think walnut isn't that attractive unless the pores have been filled.
But, I'd have to go with satin regardless of filled or not. High gloss looks cheap to me and will only accentuate the pores even more.

We use quite a bit of walnut. We always stain it to pull it together to a consistent color.

Satin is my choice. I almost never finish anything with high sheen.

 

[pinwheel]

What are you using for stain?

Are you talking about darkening up the sapwood to match the heartwood?

I try to avoid using sapwood. Walnut can have a lot of color variance from board to board. We typically use a dark walnut stain on all walnut.