Vintage 2018 under way

We’re only a few days into 2018 and grapes will be very close to being picked, if not already.

The whites will be first in, picked a little early to retain lovely bright acidity.

This particularly applies to Semillon, which is not only a specialty in the Hunter Valley but also a unique wine on the global stage.

It is difficult for Australia as a wine-growing country with no native varieties to compete with regions around the world that can boast decades or centuries of fine tuning just where and what to grow, not to mention how to grow it and make it such that it can express its unique character.

In Hunter Valley Semillon, we have something unique to offer to the world.

Semillon is often overlooked and misunderstood, a little like Riesling it is loved by those in the wine industry and ardent collectors.

It is also incredibly versatile in the style of wine it can produce, from light dry crisp whites through to being a constituent of the great Sauternes.

It is also one of the most long-lived wines, transforming from the relatively neutral, crisp dry white of its youth into honeyed, toasty rich wines with more bottle age.

The Hunter Valley would typically not be considered ideal for viticulture.

It gets incredibly hot over the summer months, rainfall comes heavily and often early in the season, both contributing to high humidity, which is a recipe for disease and over ripe grapes.

Semillon performs well here, though, given its early ripening nature. It retains high natural acidity and reaches ripeness at relatively low alcohol levels (often about 10-11 per cent alcohol).

The high acid and low alcohol levels result in the relatively neutral, light, dry and crisp whites that are perfect for summer days. Paired with all manner of seafood, their delicate citrus flavours come out to shine.

As the trend moves towards styles such as Pinot Grigio and even Provence Rose with their delicate, crisp flavour profiles, Semillon should definitely be on your radar as a new avenue to explore before summer ends.

If you have a little patience, put a few bottles away in the cellar for five years and watch how the flavours transform the wine into something almost completely different to the first bottle you try.

Thomas ‘Braemore’ Semillon 2016 – $35

Andrew Thomas has recently purchased the entire Braemore vineyard for himself. Planted in 1969 it has become a legendary site in the Hunter Valley worthy of ‘Grand Cru’ status alongside the likes of the Mount Pleasant Lovedale site. This is typical of young Semillon, delicate and subtle on the nose and palate. Fresh citrus zest of lime and lemon paired with subtle grassy notes are all it is giving up flavour wise. The acid carries the wine and gives it life though, bright, crisp and seamless from start through to the long persistent finish. Relatively speaking this is one of the great bargains in the wine world, to have a wine at $35 capable of aging for another 15+ years while developing in flavour and complexity from one of the uniquely suited sites for the variety surely won’t last long.