Semillon is a foolishly underrated variety. Most casual white wine drinkers tend to gravitate towards chardonnay, riesling, pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc, but semillion really is worth your time and fridge space.
This light- to medium-bodied white wine comes in a range of guises from various environments – and its capacity to age trumps most varieties; even reds!
Broadly speaking, semillon is light with lemon-citrus characters when young, but with age it blossoms into a wine with loads of complexity – showing nutty, toasty notes. These latter characters might seem as if they should be associated with oak, but quite often, semillon sees none – one reason why this variety is so remarkable.
Today, you'll find semillion across the country, although its most important home is the Hunter Valley (as well as its birthplace of Bordeaux in France). To help you explore this brilliant variety, read on to find three great Australian examples – two from the Hunter Valley and one from Mudgee.
2019 Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon, Hunter Valley
An iconic wine sourced from the Lovedale vineyard, planted in '46 by Maurice O'Shea. As a '19 cellar release, this wine is just beginning to reveal the greatness that lies ahead. Scented and alluring like an exquisite perfume, it offers notes of zest, lemon thyme and cultured butter. The palate seamlessly combines power and suppleness, enhanced by age, with charred citrus notes and satisfying mid-palate generosity. Although beautiful now, the defined vein of limey acidity reminds the drinker that it's only partway through its journey. – Toni Paterson, 96 points
Chief Winemaker Adrian Sparks shared: Lovedale is regarded as one of the world’s greatest semillon vineyards and has made table wines since 1950. Throughout all of that time it has made brilliant and true expressions of site and of the Hunter, plus it was instrumental in putting Hunter Valley semillon onto the world stage.
What makes this semillon unique?
Lovedale is such a unique site, sitting on sandy free-draining soils. When planted, a few rogue vines were accidentally put amongst the semillon vines, which ever so slightly changes the aromatics and palate structure – making this a true wine of place.
How do you approach the winemaking process?
Semillon winemaking is arguably the easiest of all wines. No oak, no winemaking influence – a pure expression of a time and place. Exquisite grapes are pressed and the juice clarified for ferment. At Mount Pleasant, they're chilled and then sent to be bottled three to four months later.
How’s this semillon best enjoyed?
The perfect pairing for this wine is fresh seafood – we recommend filling the table with a platter full of all kinds of sea-dwelling eats. Also, ensure the wine is slightly chilled when serving – anywhere between 8-10 degrees will do the trick.
RRP $100 | Drink to 2039 | mountpleasantwines.com.au | Shop this wine
2023 Bunnamagoo Semillon, Mudgee
The current vintage semillon is a clean and crisp wine with delicate citrus-like fruit. It showcases a beautiful interplay of long fruit acid, adding vibrancy and freshness to the palate.
Winemaker Rick Staniford shared: Pale straw yellow in colour, this wine opens with inviting aromas of lemon and hints of melon. Its clean and crisp profile – with citrus – lingers through the finish. The winemaking process emphasises purity and highlights the fruit’s natural intensity, while subtle texture enhances the mid-palate, providing balance and length. An ideal choice for a warm afternoon, best enjoyed chilled.
What makes this semillon unique?
The Bunnamagoo Semillon is grown on the red basalt soils of our Roths Block, which encourages balanced growth and provides ideal conditions for lemon varietal flavours with natural citrus acidity. Made in a style reminiscent of the Hunter Valley, this semillon exhibits elegance, coupled with fruit power from Mudgee’s longer ripening period for fruit development.
With age also comes complexity, and with semillon age comes incredible tertiary notes of nutty or oaked influence. Aging potential for this wine is up to 10 years, and I am excited to see how this wine progresses beyond that.
How do you approach the winemaking process?
The most exciting aspect of semillon winemaking is to retain the nuances of the vineyard site in the final wine. Natural acidity and varietal flavours are crucial, with the date of harvest perhaps the most critical of all. A cool 16-degree stainless steel fermentation provides conditions to accentuate the vineyard expression of fruit with vibrant acidity – producing power and length to the final wine.
How’s this semillon best enjoyed?
Currently, as a younger wine, I like to use the acidity to cleanse and cut through a spicy curry – served chilled on a cooler autumn or spring evening. However, one of the best pairings is to add a small amount of semillon to the shell of a freshly shucked oyster.
RRP $30 | Drink to 2033 | bunnamagoowines.com.au | Shop this wine
2014 Museum Release Signature Palmers Lane Semillon, Hunter Valley
An exceptionally youthful wine, with acidity and unsweetened lemon fused so tightly together it may live for decades to come. Whether a Peter Pan life span is unambiguously desirable/great is a question that can generate a spread of answers. My points are a fence-sitting answer. – James Halliday, 96 Points
Chief Winemaker Richard Done shared: This particular semillon is made from the most select and finest parcels of fruit from Bimbadgen’s Pokolbin Vineyards – crafted into a prestigious wine of regional style and intense flavour. This wine is only made when our fruit is of the highest quality.
The winemaking process is also very detailed. We want to keep the purity and elegance of such a refined wine style. This semillon comes from an old river bed, free draining and alluvial soils. Perfect for not imparting too much flavour and keeping that acid drive to the wine.
What makes this semillon unique?
At the time of harvest, 2014 was regarded as one of the greatest vintages the Hunter Valley had seen. Near perfect growing conditions allowed the winemaking team to harvest precisely as the fruit achieved maturity and balance. Looking back at the finished wines, our initial assessment appears correct. This is a true collectors' vintage.
How do you approach the winemaking process?
Free-run juice was cold settled overnight for clarification, leaving a crystal clear juice which was inoculated with a selected yeast strain. Fermentation proceeded in stainless steel tanks at 14-16 degrees, helping to retain the purity of flavour and varietal aromas of semillon. The wine was left on lees for a short time post-fermentation prior to fining, filtration and then finally bottling.
How’s this semillon best enjoyed?
This semillon is best paired with grilled scallops drenched in lemon butter, garlic prawns, or a classic fish dish like pan-seared snapper with a beurre blanc sauce. Serve this wine lightly chilled in a thin-lipped glass. It’s important not to overly chill this wine, allowing for the aroma and oaked sensation of an aged semillon to be enjoyed.
RRP $65 | Drink to 2028 | bimbadgen.com.au | Shop this wine
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