Grape · Bordeaux, France
Sémillon
seh-mee-YOHN
Wax, lemon, and time
Bordeaux's blending white, Sauternes' body, and Hunter Valley's miracle: a grape that looks simple young and turns to toast and lanolin with age.
- lemon
- beeswax
- toast
- honey
- green tea
Profile
Dry white Bordeaux is often Sémillon plus Sauvignon Blanc. Sauternes and Barsac are Sémillon-led, noble-rotted, and immortal. Hunter Valley Semillon is picked lean, bottled young, and at ten years tastes like lemon butter on toast without ever seeing new oak.
That Hunter trick is one of the great value cellaring plays in white wine. Young bottles taste tart and slight. Wait.
Young: oysters and goat cheese. Aged: roast chicken and mushroom. Sweet: blue cheese and fruit tart.
At the table
Service
Young dry 46–50 °F (8–10 °C); aged Hunter 50–54 °F (10–12 °C); Sauternes 48–52 °F (9–11 °C).
