Sémillon
Broad, mouthfilling white with a pure, clean, 'starched' character young; the ideal Sauternes botrytis grape; honeyed and nutty with age.
About the grape
There can be something pure, clean, and starched about many sémillons, especially when young. In Bordeaux — sémillon's birthplace — its broad, mouthfilling character gets a perfect lift from the lean tartness of sauvignon blanc, a blend true both for dry white Bordeaux and for the region's sweet wines such as Sauternes: sémillon's thin skins and loose bunches are readily attacked by the noble rot, Botrytis cinerea, making it ideal for Sauternes. Some of the greatest dry sémillons are made in Australia's Hunter Valley, where — unlike broad, lush Bordeaux — they are howlingly tart and tensile when young, becoming honeyed, cashew-nutty, and lanolin-textured with age.
Where it grows
Bordeaux, Hunter, Margaret River, South Australia
