Winemaker Notes
The natural acidity and medium body of the Semillon grape takes great pride in the 100+ year old Barossa Valley vineyards that are naturally suited to the region. A wine that shows lifted aromas of fresh citrus fruits of Amalfi lemon, kaffir lime, grapefruit pith balance by aromatic perfume of citrus flowers such lemon myrtle and lime blossom. The palate is a little firmer and tighter than previous vintages with tangy, needle like acidity cleansing to the finish.
Enjoy as either a fresh young wine or age for up to 15 years to reveal brioche, lemon curd pastry like notes. Match with seafood and lighter white fleshed fish dishes, Mexican or Asian salads.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2024 Woodcutter's Semillon is from a spectacular year in South Australia. It was warm and dry and everything good—"Goldilocks," in the words of winemaker Ian Hongell. On the back of the wet 2023 season, the soils were charged with moisture, and the growing year proceeded with calm and health. Everyone I met with so far, from both Barossa and McLaren Vale, has stars in their eyes about this vintage. Here, the wine leads with fresh-cut straw, lemon pith, green apple skin and white flowers. The wine is sleek on the palate; the phenolics are chalky and kick in through the middle palate and finish, but it remains a tightly focused, streamlined wine. I like the focus and detail here; the wine shows length and precision, but it has very little width and breadth, which are attributes in Barossa Semillon.
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James Suckling
Vibrant and fresh, with aromas of white nectarines, peaches and lemon pith. The palate is medium-bodied with focused acidity and a generous mouthfeel, giving notes of lime zest, chalk and mandarin rind. Easygoing with a nice texture.
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.