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.
On our shelves
Wines in the catalogue that match this entry by named grape.