The Wine Blokes

Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, most notably in France and Australia.

History

The history of the Sémillon grape is hard to determine. It is known that it first arrived in Australia in the early 1800s and by the 1820s the grape covered over 90 percent of South Africa’s vineyards, where it was known as Wyndruif, meaning “wine grape”. It was once considered to be the most planted grape in the world, although this is no longer the case. In the 1950s, Chile’s vineyards were made up of over 75% Sémillon. Today, it accounts for just 1% of South African Cape vines.

Viticulture

Sémillon, which Is easy to cultivate, consistently produces six to eight tons of grapes per acre from its vigorous vines. It is fairly resistant to disease, except for rot. The grape ripens early, when, in warmer climates, it acquires a pinkish hue. Since the grape has a thin skin, there is also a risk of sunburn in hotter climates; it is best suited to areas with sunny days and cool nights.

The Sémillon grape is rather heavy, with low acidity and an almost oily texture. It has a high yield and wines based on it can age a long time. Along with Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle, Sémillon is one of only three approved white wine varieties in the Bordeaux region. The grape is also often used as the base for sweet wines such as those in Sauternes and Barsac.

Regional Production

Sémillon IS:) the major white grape in Bordeaux, Graves and Sauternes. Whereas today Australia’s major white varieties are Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc, early in the country’s viticultural development it was Sémillon, which was mislabeled as Riesling.

In France, the Sémillon grape is grown mostly in Bordeaux where it is blended with Sauvignon blanc and Muscadelle. When dry, it is referred to as Bordeaux blanc and is permitted to be made in the appellations of Pessac-Léognan, Entre-deux-mers and other less-renowned regions. In this form, Sémillon is generally a minor constituent in the blend. However, when used to make the sweet white wines of Bordeaux (such as those from Sauternes and Barsac) it is often the dominant variety. In such wines the vine is exposed to the “noble rot” of Botrytis cinerea which consumes the water content of the fruit, concentrating the sugar present in its pulp. When attacked by Botrytis cinerea, the grapes shrivel and the acid and sugar levels are intensified.

Sémillon is widely grown in Australia, paricularly in both the Upper and Lower Hunter Valley north of Sydney where, for a long time it was known as “Hunter River Riesling”. There are four styles of Sémillon-based wines made there: a commercial style, often blended with Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc; a sweet style, after that of Sauternes; a complex, minerally, early picked style which has great longevity; and an equally high-quality style which can be released soon after vintage, or as a vat or bottle aged example (though Hunter Valley Semillon is never matured in oak). The latter two styles, pioneered by Lindemans, Tulloch, McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant, Drayton’s and Tyrrell’s, are considered unique to Australia. Most examples of these bottle-aged Hunter Semillons exhibit a butter cup yellow colour and “burnt toast/honeyed” characteristics on the nose and excellent complex flavours on the palate with a long finish and soft acid. Cooler year Hunter Semillons seem to be the most highly sought after with some of the 1974 and 1977’s still drinking well. The newer, fruit accentuated styles are championed by the likes of Iain Riggs at Brokenwood and The Rothbury Estate. Sémillon is also finding favour with Australian producers outside of the Hunter Valley in the Barossa Valley and Margaret River regions.

Outside of these regions, however, Sémillon is unpopular and often criticised for lack of complexity and intensity. As such, plantings have decreased over the last century. As referenced above, the grape can still be found in South Africa and Chile. The latter is reputed to have the largest plantings of this grape, although the number of acres planted with Sémillon fluctuates often. California growers plant Sémillon primarily to blend it with Sauvignon blanc. The grape is also planted in Argentina, and recently in New Zealand.