The character

Sémillon is a thin-skinned, low-acid white grape that is naturally susceptible to botrytis (noble rot). Those two characteristics — texture and rot susceptibility — make it the foundation of the great sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, where botrytis concentrates the sugars and acids of overripe berries into one of the most age-worthy dessert wines made. As a dry wine it shows surprising aging capacity, particularly from Australia’s Hunter Valley where it produces a low-alcohol, lemon-honey-and-toast style that develops for decades.

Where it grows best

Bordeaux: blended with Sauvignon Blanc and a touch of Muscadelle for the dry whites of Pessac-Léognan and Graves, and dominant in the sweet wines of Sauternes, Barsac, and lesser sweet appellations. Hunter Valley, Australia: the unique low-alcohol (10-11%), bone-dry, age-worthy style. Western Australia and South Africa make smaller amounts of serious Sémillon. A handful of estates in California and Washington keep it alive.

How it tastes

Young dry Sémillon: lemon, fig, beeswax, lanolin, sometimes a green-apple freshness. Aged dry Sémillon (Hunter Valley especially): toasted brioche, honey, dried lemon, butterscotch — a transformation so dramatic the wine is almost unrecognizable from its youth. Sauternes: honey, apricot, marmalade, ginger, candied citrus peel, with the lift of botrytis providing a wet-stone freshness that keeps the wine balanced rather than cloying.

How it ages

Hunter Valley Sémillon is one of the great long-aging dry whites in wine — twenty years from a serious producer (Tyrrell’s, Brokenwood, McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant) is routine. Sauternes from a great vintage and a top property (d’Yquem, Climens, Coutet, Suduiraut) ages fifty-plus years. Pessac-Léognan whites with significant Sémillon can age fifteen to twenty-five.

What to pair with

Dry Sémillon: oysters, fried fish, light Asian food, fish-and-chips (the textbook Hunter Valley match). Sauternes: foie gras (the classic), blue cheese (Roquefort especially), spicy Asian food, lemon-based desserts. The wine is also a great aperitif before a serious meal.