Sémillon

In the last few weeks, I've found a new appreciation for Sémillon, the white grape most known for the role it plays in the dry and sweet wines of Bordeaux. Due to that role, it's considered an important grape but it's not seen that often or a grape that trips off customers' tongues. This must in part be because white Bordeaux, where it's blended with Sauvignon Blanc, isn't that popular a style, but also because it just isn't planted in that many places: in Europe, it's virtually limited to south-west France and in the New World only Australia has made a speciality of it. It's these Australian versions which have led me back to taste white Bordeaux - from New World back to Old.

where it's grown

Its name comes from a local pronunciation of St-Emilion, the Bordeaux village renowned for its Merlot-based reds. It's the fifth most-planted white grape in France, concentrated on south-west France in Bordeaux, Bergerac, and Monbazillac. In Bordeaux, it's the dominant variety in the sweet white wines of Sauternes and Barsac and also in the oaky dry whites of Graves; it's almost always blended with Sauvignon Blanc, which is becoming more prominent in blends. When it's planted in California, it's to produce similar dry white wines. In Australia, it's the second most-planted white variety, producing distinctive dry wines, particularly in Hunter Valley near Sydney. The wines receive no oak, are low in alcohol and high in acidity, and, despite that lack of oak, develop toasty complexity as they age. Margaret River in Western Australia is another important area, where it's again blended with Sauvignon Blanc. Plantings of the grape have declined in South Africa, but the reputation of its wines is increasing; again, the influence is Bordeaux, with the use of oak and blending with Sauvignon.

Sémillon grapes beginning to rot; taken from Oz Clarke and Margaret Rand's Grapes and Wine

what it tastes like

With its grassy, herbaceous aromas, Sémillon is not a dissimilar grape to Sauvignon Blanc (and the two are closely related), hence the tendency to blend the two together. It does have different characteristics, though; the acidity isn't as refreshingly high as Sauvignon, and the wine is fatter and fuller bodied, as well as waxy and oily. The grape's thin skins also make it suspectible to noble rot, and its fatty characteristics add to the body of a rich, sweet wine. From the oaky dry wines of Graves, the unoaked, ageworthy wines of Hunter Valley, on its own or blended with Sauvignon Blanc, back to the intensely sweet wines of Sauternes, this is one versatile grape. Come on winemakers, get planting!

tasting

Tyrell's Belford 2009 (Hunter Valley, 100% Sémillon, Wine Society, £21). A single-vineyard Sémillon from one of Hunter Valley's most famous producers, this is an exceptional wine that still has lots of development ahead of it. Classic Hunter Valley in its high acidity and low alcohol (11%), as well as developing complexity; there are still lemon and lime notes from the wine's youthfulness, but a waxy oiliness coming through, and interesting vegetal notes - I got creamy potato on the palate.

Brokenwood Semillon 2012 and 2007 ILR Reserve (Hunter Valley, 100% Sémillon, 2012 currently available at hangingditch, £20). Unfortunately, I didn't get to taste these wines at the same time, as it would have been fascinating to directly compare the two. The 2012 had sharply fresh, grassy, herbaceous aromas, while the 2007, from a single vineyard, had developed mature flavours variously described by fellow Diploma students as wet wool, shortbread, orange peel, lemon cake, and blossom. This was a serious, intense wine, quite different from the youthful exuberance of the 2012, and one that will continue to age for another 15 years. Both these wines have low alcohol - the 2007 11.5%, the 2012 10.5%.

Cullen Mangan Vineyard 2011 (Margaret River, 58% Sauvignon Blanc, 42% Sémillon, hangingditch, £22.50). Cullen is a fully biodynamic winery from Margaret River, an area of Western Australia famous for its similarities to Bordeaux and where Sémillon works best in the northern part. I've tasted the 2011 vintage (the blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon is different each year) on two separate occassions in the last couple of months. The first was at the end of a Sauvignon Blanc centred tasting at hangingditch, where the style of this oaked blend was just too difficult for the Sauvignon lovers - I loved that oaky complexity in contrast to the too similar primary aromas of Sauvignon after Sauvignon. The second tasting was during the Diploma Australian session, where both tutor and students thought it wasn't complex enough for the price. The collective tasting notes, and the conclusion that it has another ten years, suggest otherwise: chamomile, thyme, grass, white chocolate, asparagus, ripe green and citrus fruits, as well as being waxy and oily, with weight on the palate from the light use of oak. Both a guest at the tasting and a student on the Diploma also suggested smoked cheese, a description the tutor found highly amusing, but it's one I fully agree with, especially after having tasted other Sémillon wines.

Cuvée des Conti: Tour des Gendres 2012 (Bergerac, 70% Sémillon, Carrington's, £12.49). Young, grassy, and green on the nose, showing just how similar Sémillon is to Sauvignon - it would be difficult to distinguish the two in a blind tasting. The palate differs though: a dry yet creamy finish, with a spicy, yeasty texture from eight months on its lees, and a much fuller body. The acidity isn't as piercingly high as Sauvignon either; this isn't a palate cleanser for a sunny afternoon, more of a food wine for a rich, creamy chicken or oily seafood dish.

Moulin des Dames 2006 (Bergerac, 70% Sauvignon Blanc/30% Sémillon, Carrington's, £25). This is a complex, mature, and quite beautiful wine with aged, oxidised notes, almost like a traditional white Rioja, with honey and beeswax. 50% aged for twelve months in barriques and on its lees, the palate is creamy, oaky, and spicy. It came as a surprise to learn that the wine is 70% Sauvignon Blanc, as the Sémillon seems much more influential - evidence that Sauvignon Blanc is a grape that can still surprise.

Château Rahoul Blanc 2010 (Graves, 75% Sémillon, Wine Society, £16). A very nutty (marzipan), toasty, and cheesy nose, with dairy and farmyard notes; the palate shares blue cheese and marzipan flavours, but with a big oaky, spicy finish. A full-bodied white which would be a great pairing with crumbly Lancashire cheese, as well as a bready fish dish.

Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2010 (Franschhoek, 92% Sémillon, Wine Society, £18). From vines planted in 1902, 1906, and 1942, this is a serious wine comparable in complexity and quality to the above Bordeaux. A waxy, oily, cheesy, smoky, toasty nose, with a slight yet pleasant stink of rotting fruits. There's an intense mouth feel - very cheesy, smoky, slightly rotten, nice acidity, fatty, and full-bodied with creamy spices and potatoes. Great on its own, but this would match with any rich, creamy dish.

Clos du Val Signature Series 2011 (Napa Valley, 72% Sémillon; 2010 available at hangingditch, £25). I wrote about this in my California blog - another great example of a New World wine taking Bordeaux as its inspiration but doing something quite different. Far less farmyardy and oaky than the Graves equivalent (it was aged in neutral oak), with fresher, grassier aromas, but depth and complexity of flavour from the ageing.

Château Doisy-Daëne 2006 (Barsac, 95% Sémillon, Wine Society, £26). Barsac is an appellation next to Sauternes in Bordeaux, producing sweet wines from the same grapes - it can be much more affordable than its more famous neighbour. The wine has a rich golden colour, and intensely sweet aromas of orange peel, marmalade, and dried apricots. The palate is honeyed with light oaky spices. Some sweet wines work on their own, drunk at any time, but this is definitely best as a dessert wine: with apple tart for example.

Every single one of these wines that I've tasted at different times over the last month or so was of a high quality: intriguing and complex aromas, all connected by the grape, yet distinguished by the style and character of its region or the nature of the winemaking process. I'm definitely a convert to the Bordeaux-style oaky, dry whites: these are complex, full-bodied food wines that should be much more appreciated. In complete contrast, the Australian Semillons are just unique: high acidity, low alcohol, no oak, lots of ageing potential, and developing complexity that's all about the flavour profile of the grape. Together with sweet Bordeaux, these are three completely different, yet equally appealing, styles of wine.