Winemaker Notes
Fruit was picked slightly greener in colour before it was allowed to go golden giving better natural acid and zesty flavours. Left on light residual lees for 7 months. The Lees help support the palate weight.
Clear pale straw color.
Nose: summery aromas of nectarine, pear and fresh meadow hay.
Palate: Granny Smith and gooseberry with a zesty grapefruit finish
Will be a solid medium term ager, 4-5 years
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Kaesler's 2008 Old Vine Semillon presents intense aromas of lemon curd, dried herbs, toast, nuts and a very pretty floral undercurrent of orange blossom. Full-bodied and very crisp in the mouth with a pleasantly silky texture, it gives a finish of citrus and toast. Drink it now through 2013.
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Tasting Panel
Ripe and juicy with citrus, apple and spice; tangy, smooth and rich with bright acid structure.
Sémillon has the power to create wines with considerable structure, depth and length that will improve for several decades. It is the perfect partner to the vivdly aromatic Sauvignon Blanc. Sémillon especially shines in the Bordeaux region of Sauternes, which produces some of the world’s greatest sweet wines. Somm Secret—Sémillon was so common in South Africa in the 1820s, covering 93% of the country’s vineyard area, it was simply referred to as Wyndruif, or “wine grape.”
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.