The
ultimate tasting of Australian Semillon
This
blind tasting, put on by Wine magazine, was a brilliant (and rare)
chance to try 44 different Australian Semillons in a comparative
setting. My full notes, as written, are reproduced below. Those of you
with a copy of February’s Wine magazine will probably be interested
in comparing my scores with the averaged panel scores. (Regular
wineanorak readers will know that I’m a little suspicious of
averaged scores: I think the verdict of just one palate is probably
more useful, because of biological, cultural and experiential
differences between different tasters. But that’s a separate story.)
Compared
with Semillon, Chardonnay is a relative latecomer in Australia. There
was hardly any of it planted until the 1980s, when it took off
explosively. Somewhat perversely, dry white wines that commonly used
to be sold under the (now outlawed) generic names of 'Chablis' and
'White Burgundy' -- which in France are made from the Chardonnay grape
-- were actually Aussie Semillon. Semillon held pole position among
white varieties in Australia until relatively recently.
Semillon
lacks the rich texture and up-front appeal of Chardonnay, and now
lives in the shadow of its sexier, more glamorous peer. But it makes
one of Australia’s classic wine styles: unoaked Hunter Semillon.
It’s a legend. Picked at low natural alcohol, Hunter Semillon is
lean and rather austere in its youth, but with a decade’s bottle age
it puts on weight and character, eventually resulting in a rich,
savoury toasty wine of some complexity -- a true ‘ugly ducking’
transformation. In fact, looking at my notes I see that I was
convinced that the 1995 Tyrells Vat 1 Semillon, a classic unoaked
Hunter wine, had actually seen new oak. It’s an easy mistake to
make.
I
was quite surprised by this tasting. Initially, being faced with 44
Semillons seemed a rather horrific prospect. It wasn’t. The quality
of these wines was pretty good: while there weren’t many that
grabbed me in a sensual sort of way, there were plenty that were
savoury and balanced, with good acidity. Aussie Semillons tend to be
better food wines than Chardonnays, and they’re often cheaper too.
And they offer a surprising diversity of styles.
Of
course, there were few aged Hunter Semillons on show, the oldest pair
being from 1995. It would have been interesting to have had some
venerable old examples in with their newer peers.
I
scored the wines here along the guidelines given by Wine magazine.
I’m not a fan of the 100 point scale, but it can be useful in this
sort of scenario where a large group of wines of similar style are
being assessed. Don’t get hung up on them, but I’d say that 85 is
a very good score, and 90+ is verging on brilliant.
92 |
Vasse
Felix Semillon 2000, Margaret River
Super nose: complex, aromatic and spicy with a lifted, limey
character. Delicious, crisp palate with complex limey fruit
and some new oak. 92/100 (£11.45 Lay & Wheeler) |
92 |
The
Willows Vineyard Semillon 1998, Barossa Valley
Deep yellow coloured. Arresting limey nose shows great
intensity. Rich, concentrated, high-acid palate. A classy win
but very tight knit and youthful: needs time. A young classic
from the Hunter Valley? 92/100 (£8.50 Australian Wine Club,
Bottoms Up, Wine Rack) |
90 |
Bethany
Barrel Fermented Semillon 2000, Barossa Valley
Forward expressive nose with lots of lemony, herby fruit and a
spicy edge. Rich, full flavoured palate with creamy new oak
influence. Delicious in a full-on style. 90/100 (£7.99
D&D Wines) |
90 |
Ballandean
Estate Semillon 1996, Queensland
Highly evolved, creamy toasty nose leads to a deliciously
rich, nutty palate. Savoury and very tasty. Older Hunter
Valley? 90/100 (£6.49) |
88 |
Grant
Burge Semillon 1999, Barossa
Deep yellow/gold. Attractive savoury nose shows good
balance and a toasty edge. Tasty. Nicely complex palate with
some well integrated new oak. 88/100 (£7.99 Andrew Chapman,
Unwins) |
88 |
Milbrovale
Seven Stones Reserve Semillon 1998, Hunter Valley
Deep yellow/gold colour. Slightly muted, honeyed nutty
nose. Palate is savoury and fresh with high acid. Beginning to
open out. Hunter Valley? 88/100 (£8.99 McKinley Vintners) |
88 |
Annie’s
Lane Semillon 2000, Clare Valley
Full yellow/gold colour. Lovely floral, lemony edge to the
nose, which is showing some toastiness too. Really crisp acid
on palate and lots of dense, savoury herbal fruit. 88/100 (£6.99
Safeway) |
88 |
St
Hallett Semillon Select 1998, Barossa
Very deep golden colour. Complex, herby evolved nose is
rich and spicy. Palate is complex and herby with soft rounded,
herby fruit. Weird but nice. 88/100 (£6.99 D&D Wines) |
87 |
Fern
Hill Estate Semillon 1998, South Australia
Yellow/gold colour. Interesting herby/nutty nose leads to a
savoury, dense palate. Quite a serious effort. 87/100 (£9.35
Friarwood, Virgin Wines) |
87 |
Knappstein
Lenswood Semillon 1999, South Australia
Rich, herb-tinged nose. Rich, full-flavoured style with a
savoury finish. Nice. 87/100 (£10.49 Berkmann Wine Cellars) |
87 |
Wyndham
Estate Bin 777 Semillon 1999, SE Australia
Quite evolved, savoury, waxy nose with good complexity.
Palate is rich and full with a slightly herbaceous edge.
87/100 (£5.99 Peake Wine Assocs) |
86 |
Grant
Burge ‘Zerk’ Old Vine Semillon 2000, Barossa Valley
Deep coloured with a striking nose: toasty, herby with a
touch of spice. Lovely savoury, toasty nutty palate. This is
tasty, and has probably seen some new oak. 86/100 (£7.99
Andrew Chapman, Unwins) |
86 |
Henschke
‘Louis’ Eden Valley Semillon 1998
Deep yellow/gold colour, with a herby, waxy nose. Chunky,
dense, savoury palate: tasty and rich. 86/100 (£12.95 Lay
& Wheeler) |
86 |
Xanadu
Semillon 2000, Margaret River
Floral, citrus nose with some nutty, toasty notes. Palate
is rich and full with attractive, herbal, nutty character and
good acid. 86/100 (£8.99 Oddbins) |
85 |
Glenguin
'The Old Broke Block' Semillon 1999, Hunter Valley
Lovely expressive nose with an edge of lime and
crystallized fruits. Palate shows good flavour and a lemony
core. Good balance; drinking well now. 85/100 (£8.49 Bibendum) |
84 |
Meerea
Park ‘Epoch’ Semillon 2000, Hunter Valley
Quite a full yellow colour. Toasty edge to the lemony nose
and bright, full-flavoured palate. Oaked? 84/100 (£9.95
Australian Wine Club, Vin Du Vin, Wine Society)
|
84 |
Tyrrells
Vat 1 Semillon 1995, Hunter Valley
Deep yellow colour, with what seems to be classy, toasty
new oak on the nose. Palate is lean, savoury and herbal with
high acidity. Youthful. 84/100 (£19.99 Oddbins, Tanners) |
84 |
Tim
Adams Semillon 1998, Clare Valley
Quite an evolved nutty, toasty nose with a pronounced
herbal edge. Savoury, high acid palate. This is quite chunky
and may have seen some oak. 84/100 (£7.99 Tesco) |
83 |
Simon
Hackett Brightview Semillon 2000, Barossa
Interesting nose with some butterscotch notes and a touch
of oxidation character. Rich, nutty palate. This is quite
evolved. 83/100 (£7.49 Alexander Wines, Connolly’s,
Christopher Piper) |
82 |
Margan
Semillon 2000, Hunter Valley
Racy, lemony floral nose. Nice herb-tinged fruit on the
palate. Quite youthful. 82/100 (£8.99 Virgin Wines) |
82 |
Brokenwood
Semillon 1995 Aged Reserve, Hunter Valley
Deep yellow coloured with a slightly green tint. Striking
herby, vegetal nose with a limey edge. Rich, savoury high-acid
palate with great density of vegetal-edged fruit. Youthful and
ambitious. 82/100 (£13.99 Bennets, Liberty Wines) |
82 |
Tyrrell’s
Old Winery Semillon 2001, Hunter Valley
Youthful aromatic, boiled sweets character to the nose.
Lively, crisp but quite commercial palate. Tastes a little bit
like a young Clare Valley Riesling. 82/100 (£6.99 Marco’s) |
80 |
Brokenwood
Semillon 2000, Hunter Valley
Crisp, lemony nose leads to a youthful lemony palate with
high acid. Clean. 80/100 (£8.99 Andrew Chapman, La Reserve,
Vin Du Van)
|
80 |
Allanmere
Semillon 1999, Hunter Valley
Nutty, slightly oxidised nose with some honeyed,
butterscotch notes. Rich, savoury, lean palate.
80/100 (£9.49 Arthur Rackham, Beaconsfield Wine
Cellars, Great Northern Wine) |
80 |
Reynolds
Yarraman Semillon 1999, Hunter Valley
Deeper colour. Crisp lemony edge to the nose. Full,
savoury, herby palate with a slightly off-putting vegetal
note. A powerful wine. 80/100 (£7.45 Lay & Wheeler) |
80 |
Rosemount
Semillon 2000 SE Australia
Juicy lemon fruit with a rounded herbal edge. Commercial
style. 80/100 (£6.99 Majestic) |
80 |
Rosemount
Show Reserve 1998 Hunter Valley
Rounded lemony fruit in a modern, commercial style. 80/100
(£9.99 Château Online) |
78 |
Crabtree
Watervale Semillon 1998, South Australia
Attractive honeyed limey nose with a touch of caramel.
Softly fruited palate with a savoury kick on the finish. Oaky?
78/10 (£8.23 Bibendum) |
77 |
Maglieri
Semillon 2001, McLaren Vale
Aromatic, fresh lemony nose. Rich fruit and high acidity
on the palate. Quite commercial. 77/100
(£6.99 Eldridge Pope) |
77 |
Voyager
Estate Semillon 1999, Margaret River
Pronounced herbal edge to the fresh nose. Ripe, rounded
palate is smooth textured. Western Australia?
77/100 (£8.95
Justerini & Brooks) |
75 |
Glaetzer
Bush Vine Semillon 1997, Barossa
Herb-tinged fruit on the nose. Crisp, lemony palate. Quite
ripe but a bit dull. 75/100 (£10.45 Great Western Wine) |
74 |
Allandale
Semillon 1998, Hunter Valley
Fresh, lemony nose. Crisp, almost austere high-acid
palate. Young Hunter Valley? 74/100 (£8.49 Australian Wine
Club) |
74 |
Coriole
Lalla Rookh Semillon 1998, McLaren Vale
Pungent, herbal/vegetal edge to the nose. Crisp, lemony
high-acid palate. Good density but odd. Western Australia?
74/100 (£10 Bacchanalia, Grog Blossom, Hedley Wright) |
74 |
Fermoy
Estate Semillon 2000, Margaret River
Youthful, slightly confected boiled sweets nose with a
lemony edge. Modern, rounded, fruity palate. A commercial
style. 74/100 (£7.35 Great Western Wine) |
72 |
Horshoe
Vineyard Semillon 1999, Hunter Valley
Unusual nose. Very herby with a waxy edge. Palate is a bit
disjointed with high acidity. Strongly flavoured. 72/100 (£6.99
Charles Hawkins) |
72 |
Peter
Lehmann Semillon 2001, Barossa Valley
Aromatic, boiled sweets nose. Palate is rounded and a bit
confected. An easy drinker. 72/100 (£5.99 Widely available) |
70 |
Cranswick
Estate Semillon 2001 SE Australia
Youthful commercial nose with a boiled sweets edge. Full
flavoured, rounded confected palate. 70/100 (£4.99 Australian
Wineries UK Ltd) |
70 |
Tyrrell’s
Lost Block Semillon 2000, Hunter Valley
There’s a herbal, vegetal edge to the nose. A bit of
tinned pea character. Fresh, high acid palate and more of that
off-putting herbal thing. 70/100 (£9.99 Connolly’s) |
65 |
Millfield
Semillon 1999, Hunter Valley
Unusual pungent smoky, herby nose. Crisp, high-acid style.
Full flavoured but very odd. Vegetal. 65/100 (£11.99 Corney
& Barrow) |
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May 2002
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