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Discover the dazzling spectrum of Hunter Valley semillon, Australia’s iconic dry white wine.
First things first: it’s pronounced 'sem-ee-yon'. That’s right, it’s got that tricky double ‘L’ thing going on, which means this grape is originally from, you guessed it, France! Native to the Bordeaux region in the south-west, semillon is characterised by bright citrus and tropical flavours and a generous mouthfeel, though in the Hunter it tends to display more zesty citrus and herbaceous characters along with feather-light alcohol (10-11%). Although often overlooked in favour of flashier counterparts, like sauvignon blanc and chardonnay, semillon can produce wines of outstanding character in a range of styles with seemingly endless cellaring potential.
It’s widely believed that semillon arrived early in Australia’s viticultural history – possibly as early as the first fleet – and quickly found its new home in the Hunter Valley. The region’s warm, humid climate and frequent summer rains can cause headaches for growers, but are exactly what make semillon so popular in the Hunter Valley. Its vigour, high yields and tendency to ripen early (before those infamous summer rains) make it very easy to like.
As award-winning Australian wine writer Campbell Mattinson puts it, Hunter semillon is a wine “that is acknowledged as the best in the world, the benchmark. It is the same kind of advantage enjoyed by Burgundy and Bordeaux and Champagne.” High praise indeed!
In the Hunter, semillon offers an impressive spectrum of styles: from fresh and youthful to lusciously sweet, late-harvest wines and, most notably, the toasty, complex bottle-aged semillons unique to the region. It’s this ability to morph over time from a zesty, crisp youngster into a deep golden, nutty, honey-scented old-timer that makes Hunter semillon one of Australia's truly unique styles.
Hunter winemakers achieve this style by picking the grapes early to retain freshness and keep alcohols low. The fruit is then gently handled and fermented at cold temperatures in stainless steel to retain semillon’s freshness and lively fruit character. This provides the perfect palate for thos honeyed, toasty notes to develop and sets it apart from semillons from other parts of the country and the world, which are typically rounder, riper and more stone-fruited.
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Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon
So, you’re ready to dive into some semillon, but not sure where to start? Well, you cannot go past Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon. A classic example of Hunter Semillon, it was first made in 1963. Six decades on, it is one of Australia’s most iconic white wines and is regularly held up as the benchmark for this regional style.
What makes it so special? It’s made from Tyrell’s best parcels of old vine, dry grown vineyards. This ensures the fruit is of the highest quality and concentration, essential for a wine that spends years developing in bottle.
This doesn't mean you have to drink it with age. As a young wine, the Vat 1 is beautifully crisp and refreshing, with flavours of citrus, green apple and honeysuckle. But for those willing to wait, you’ll find this wine has remarkable longevity and the capacity to transform with age, often benefiting from 30, 40, even 50 years in bottle. This is where you’ll get that hallmark toasty, honeyed goodness ‒ assuming you can resist that long.
Mount Pleasant Lovedale Cellar Aged Semillon
Long term cellaring requires a lot of patience. Fortunately, our friends at Mount Pleasant have done the hard part for us with their Lovedale Cellar Aged Semillon.
Like the Tyrrell’s, this semillon hails from Mount Pleasant’s finest vineyard: Lovedale. Planted by Maurice O’Shea in 1946, the Lovedale site is something of a viticultural marvel. Initially considered inhospitable for growing vines, O’Shea recognised its true potential for dry white wines, and today it produces some of the most expressive and elegant semillon in the world.
With several years of bottle age under its belt, the Lovedale Cellar Aged Semillon is a prime example of those unique Hunter characters as they start to develop. Crisp acidity and a base of bright citrus still provide a bright base, however, those bottle-age notes of toasty, roasted nuts and honey are starting to emerge. Naturally, it could be laid down for another decade or two – but why put off till tomorrow what you can drink today!
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Margan Semillon
There’s no denying that Tyrell’s and Mount Pleasants icons ‒ whether bottle-matured or freshly bottled, their wines represent the classic regional style. But there’s more than one way to crush a grape, and there’s certainly more than one way to make a Hunter semillon. So, if you’re after a more contemporary take, the Margan Semillon is an excellent place to start.
One of the new(ish) kids on the block, Margan Wine is a highly-awarded winery that produces beautiful, sustainably grown wines. As is the case with this semillon, the wines are a little plumper than other young expressions; while it still has the hallmark citrus, lemongrass and racy acidity, there's also a generosity of fruit and texture that identify it as a rounder, full-flavoured style. Fun, fresh and great value for money, this wine is a great launching point into the world of Hunter semillon. And for those who are ready to fully embrace everything that this region and grape can offer, why not try all three in a comparative tasting. Learning was never so delicious!
