Understand the grape
Getting to know the grape
Sémillon is a grape with two almost separate lives. In its dry form it is rarely loud. Young wines smell of lemon, green apple, fresh grass and sometimes chamomile, with moderate body and a gentle, waxy texture. Because it is often picked early, a Hunter Valley example can be low in alcohol and taste almost austere on release. Then bottle age changes it. After six to eight years, Wine Australia says, fig, toast and honey appear, and the best can keep for forty years or more.
The sweet life belongs most of all to Sauternes and Barsac in Bordeaux. Sémillon's thin-skinned berries are easily attacked by noble rot, a beneficial mould that draws water out of the grape and concentrates its sugar and flavour. The result is a rich, golden, sweet white with citrus and orchard fruit when young, and nuts, spice and candied fruit with time. Sémillon is also an old partner of Sauvignon Blanc in dry white Bordeaux, where it adds weight and Sauvignon Blanc adds liveliness. The same pairing is made in Margaret River, in Western Australia.
Where Sémillon changes
Grape to place
Compare how the grape grows and tastes in these places. Each guide explains the local wines; the Atlas shows where they come from.
Sauternes and Barsac
Sweet wine, made mostly from Sémillon with some Sauvignon Blanc and a little Muscadelle. Morning mists from the river Ciron favour noble rot, and pickers go through the vines several times, over as long as three months.
Graves and Pessac-Léognan
Dry white blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon on gravel soils. Sauvignon Blanc brings liveliness and Sémillon brings richness, and the proportions change from one estate to the next.
Hunter Valley
Dry, usually unoaked Semillon picked early and low in alcohol. Light and lemony when young, it moves towards fig, toast and honey with bottle age, and can last for decades.
Margaret River
Semillon is usually blended with Sauvignon Blanc here. Wine Australia calls the blends crisp, lively and juicy, with proportions, oak and ripeness that vary between producers.
Barossa Valley
Two dry styles sit side by side: a richer, fuller, oak-aged Semillon and a lighter, crisper unoaked one. Check the back label for oak before you open it.
What changes the result
Vineyard and cellar
The ripeness of the grapes, contact with their skins, and time in tanks or barrels all help shape the wine. Here is what to look for.
Picked early for dry wine
In the Hunter Valley, growers pick Sémillon early, ferment it dry in stainless steel and bottle it soon after. The aim is ripe flavour at low sugar, so the wines are light in alcohol and high in acidity. Their toasty character develops later in the bottle, usually without any oak.
Noble rot and picking in passes
For sweet wine, noble rot has to reach the grapes. In Sauternes and Barsac, autumn mists followed by sunny afternoons help it develop, but unevenly across the vineyard, so pickers return several times and take only the most affected berries. The harvest can last up to three months.
Blending with Sauvignon Blanc
In Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon are the two main white grapes. Dry blends rely on Sauvignon Blanc for freshness and on Sémillon for richness. Sweet Sauternes usually leans on Sémillon, with Sauvignon Blanc or Muscadelle added for acidity or aroma. Margaret River makes a similar dry blend, so compare labels for the proportions.
Oak or no oak
Hunter Valley winemakers rarely ferment in barrel. Elsewhere in Australia the choice varies: Barossa makes both an oaked and an unoaked style, and Margaret River Semillon may be fresh and unoaked, or fermented or matured in oak. Many sweet Sauternes are matured in barrel too. Oak adds spice and texture, but it does not decide whether the wine is dry or sweet.
Time in bottle
Sémillon changes noticeably with age, so the vintage matters. A young wine tastes of lemon and grass. After several years the colour deepens and toast, honey and nutty notes show. Some Hunter producers hold their best wines back to spare you the wait: Brokenwood releases its ILR Reserve only after at least six years in bottle.
Read the label
On the bottle
A label may name the place instead of the grape. These names and terms help you work out what is in the bottle.
- Sauternes
- A Bordeaux appellation, a legally defined wine place, for sweet white wine. It is made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and a little Muscadelle, though the label usually says only Sauternes. Barsac is one of the five communes in the area, with its own appellation and sweet wines in a similar style.
- Pessac-Léognan blanc, Graves blanc
- Dry white Bordeaux from the Graves area, usually blending Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. The grape names are often missing from the front label, so the place name is your guide.
- Hunter Valley Semillon
- An Australian label that names the place and the grape. Expect a dry, light, lemony wine when young, made to age, unless the back label says otherwise.
- Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
- A dry white blend, typical of Margaret River. Read the back label for how much of each grape is in the bottle, and whether oak was used.
- Sémillon or Semillon
- The same grape. French labels use the accent and Australian labels usually leave it out. Neither spelling tells you whether the wine is dry or sweet.
At the table and in the cellar
Practical use
Serve
Serve dry Sémillon, including Hunter Valley and white Bordeaux, at about 8 to 11°C. Sweet wines such as Sauternes are best well chilled, around 8 to 10°C, in a small white wine glass. Older bottles lose detail if they are served too cold.
Eat
Dry, young Sémillon suits smoked trout, grilled fish, roast chicken with thyme and pork terrine. Richer dry blends from Bordeaux work with shellfish and creamy sauces. Sweet Sauternes suits foie gras, blue cheese, roast chicken and fruit desserts, and it can match salty or spiced dishes too.
Keep
Hunter Valley Semillon is made for the cellar, and a good one can develop for decades. White Bordeaux from the best estates also ages well. Sauternes can be enjoyed young, but top wines keep for decades. A simple Sémillon blend is usually best within a few years of release.
Taste it in three steps
Three bottles
You can try these bottles on separate occasions. Keep a note of the name, vintage and what you notice, then use the steps below to decide what to compare.
- 01
Start with a young, dry Hunter Valley Semillon
Taste a young Hunter Valley Semillon and look for lemon, fresh grass and high acidity. Note how low in alcohol and light in body it is, and that it is dry and unoaked.
- 02
Compare a dry Sémillon blend
Open a white Pessac-Léognan or a Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. Ask how much richness the Sémillon adds, and how much liveliness comes from the Sauvignon Blanc.
- 03
Finish with a sweet one
Try a Sauternes or Barsac, often sold in half bottles. Notice the honey, apricot and orange peel, and how the acidity stops the sweetness feeling heavy.