Winetastic

Until this month I had not heard of Vinecrest before, a boutique producer from the Barossa Valley. They sent through three sample bottles to be reviewed, first up is the Vinecrest Semillon 2007.

Intense lemon aromas with a hint of grassyness, on the palate, this unwooded Semillon exhibits varietal zesty lemon flavours. Crisp with good length and a refreshing dry finish.

Generally Semillon from the Barossa shows more tropical fruit flavours, however this example has citrus characteristics typically found in a Hunter Semillon. The decision to seal this vintage with cork as opposed to screwcap indicates Vinecrest expect this wine to improve with age.

Score: 85/100
Price: $16
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 12%
Would I buy this wine?
There are better dry whites out there for drinking young, however this one may develop some more interest with age.

Writing a review for a young Semillon is hard, there are only so many ways you can say “lemon” and “acid”. I tasted the De Iuliis Semillon 1999 at the cellar door this week, and subsequently purchased a bottle of the 2005 vintage from our local bottle shop. For what its worth, this wine also made James Hallidays “Top 100″ wines this year.

Pale straw in colour, this Semillon smells of grapes and lemon sherbert. Full flavoured and lemony, it has a good whack of acidity as well.

I would not really recommend this wine for drinking young, but it would not hurt to stash a few bottles away. The score is based on how the wine is drinking now. I contacted De Iuliis via email requesting a bottle photo, however the did not respond. *Edit* Thanks to GW for providing me with a bottle shot.

Score: 85/100
Price: $14
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 11.5%
Other Opinions: De Iuliis
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, to cellar for 5+ years.

This bottle had been sitting in the cellar for around 2 years now, it saddens me to think there is only one left. With spring making its appearance known, I will definitely be drinking more Semillon in the near future.

Developed straw yellow in colour, this full flavoured Semillon is showing both youthful lemon and acid alongside developed lanolin aromas and subtle honey flavour. An excellent match for a creamy chicken dish.

Irongate were still selling the 2001 vintage from the cellar door last month, well worth grabbing a bottle or two. On a side note, thank you to Irongate for supplying the bottle photo, however their website content is seriously out of date and was built using flash, its time for an update!

Score: 90/100
Price: $20
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 12.5%
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, I really enjoyed this Semillon while young and I look forward to seeing how the last bottle develops in a couple of years time.

A few months back I reviewed the 2001 Thistle Hill Semillon and basically rated it as fairly average at 6/10. The wine was a bit watery and lacked the depth of character you expect from an aged Semillon.

Over the weekend I opened another bottle which showed far better, presenting a stronger flavour profile and basically going down like a treat. Perhaps the first bottle was mildly corked.

Score: 8/10
Would I buy this wine again?
Based on this bottle and the $15 price tag, yes. Available from the cellar door or online.

I love Semillon, delicious refreshing citrus fruit when young, complex toasty characters when aged and distinctly Australian to boot! Tyrrell’s make some great Semillon, the 2005 Lost Block is not their best example.

Overly acidic on the palate with only a little citrus fruit flavour, the finish reminds me of cheap champagne (sorry, sparkling wine). This is an overrated wine, possibly carried by Tyrrell’s strong reputation. Further detail and tasting notes can be found at the Tyrrell’s website.

For the price point, I would suggest the Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon instead.

Score: 3/10
Would I buy this wine again?
At least the wine was cheap, only $13. I will await the 2006 vintage and give it another shot.

Looking for a light and refreshing white that isnt all acid and wont break the bank? You may well want to consider the 2001 Thistle Hill Semillon.

The 2001 is the current release from Thistle Hill, since they have a policy of aging their wines longer in oak and bottle before releasing them to the marketplace. Lemon and tropical fruit on the nose, the palate shows lemon and acidic characters that quickly fade into light buttery oak flavours. This wine is very light in weight, contrasting a lot with the hunter valley semillons reviewed here recently, which felt a lot fuller or rounder in the mouth.

Score: 6/10
Would I buy this wine again?
Probably not, other wines of a similar style and price appeal more to my palate, such as the Mount Pleasant Elizabeth. However if organic wines are your thing, definitely give this one a shot.

Continuing the exploration of aged semillon, I purchased a bottle of the 2000 Mount Pleasant Elizabeth, which is currently available as a “cellar release”.

Golden calcite with green hues, the nose was surprisingly vibrant with citrus coming to the fore. The first sip bursts onto the tongue with lemon citrus flavours and some balanced acidity, before fading to a lingering buttery finish. Detailed tasting notes are located at the McWilliam’s Website.

Thoroughly enjoyable, this wine has a depth or complexity which I have only previously found in bottles of red. All this despite never touching any oak, eat your heart out chardonnay.

Score: 9/10
Would I buy this wine again?
Currently selling for only $14 at Uncle Dan Murphy’s, this wine is outstanding value for money. With another 5 years cellaring potential, I shall be picking up some more.

I found this wine somewhat difficult to review, primarly due to my lack of experience tasting aged whites. I understand that a semillon undergoes a process of morphing between the fresh young white with prominent citrus and acidity, into a more complex wine with toasty characters. The 2001 Stevens Semillon is currently somewhere between these two states and is still retaining some of the youthful fruit and acidity.

I encourage you not to make the same mistake that I did and over chill this wine, I found it most enjoyable once my half full glass had returned to a few degrees below room temperature, around 16-17 degrees. In this state the wine brought a lot more to the party, having lovely lemon fruit flavours mixed in with toasty characters and a hint of honey. Detailed tasting notes and information can be found at the Tyrrell’s website.

The 2001 Reserve Stevens Semillon is the current release from Tyrrell’s as they decided to ensure the wine had some bottle age before placing it on the market, a respectable move indeed. The price at most retailers is around $20-25 a bottle.

Score: 8/10
Would I buy this wine again?
Most of my semillon enjoyment comes from young ones paired with thai food, the exploration of older bottles shall continue, and I will definitely re-visit the Tyrrell’s in the future.