Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Australian Wine Companion
A site sandwiched between sandy creek beds, dry grown and planted in 1908. Set the compass, because this is a paean to a rich heritage as much as a looking glass into the brightest of futures. Lightweight. A skitter of lemon zest, tamarind and quince, bulwarked with a talcy mineral pungency and a juicy acid kit. Long, tactile and pummelling of intensity. This is a late-released Hunter semillon, barely nudging middle age. Strap yourself in, turn Eddie Van Halen up to full volume and get ready. Stevens, the exuberant. Belford, the intellectual nerd. This, the louche with class.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The HVD (Hunter Valley Distilling) Vineyard was planted in 1908, and the fruit for this 2017 HVD Semillon was sourced from the Sign Post block within it. The 2017 vintage was an exceptional season for Semillon in the Hunter, and the nose here leads with sun-drenched honeysuckle, green apple skins, caper brine and crushed shells. In the mouth, the wine is gentle swaying on the brink of evolution; it's still so tight and glassy, but it's starting to hint at the enveloping texture and complexity that will develop over the next couple of years. A marvel. Highly recommended.
Rating: 95+ -
Wine Enthusiast
2017 was a hot and dry year in the Hunter Valley and the ripeness—and bottle age—shows shows here via plump, heady aromatics like honeyed pear, pineapple, lemon verbena and buttercups. They flow to a palate that manages to be both weighty and light on its feet, thanks to a pithy texture and refreshing acidity.
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.”
Most admired for citrus-driven, mineral-rich and often age-worthy Semillon wines, Hunter Valley is one of Australia’s oldest wine regions and was home to its very first commercial vineyards. The region’s warm summer nights coupled with autumn cloud cover and cool sea breezes allow full ripening and healthy acidity levels for Semillon; its diverse soils of volcanic basalt and white alluvial sands promote the development of Semillon’s delicate aromas. Hunter Valley Semillons can certainly be enjoyed in their youth but with 10 to 20 years in the cellar, the best examples develop intriguing notes of honey, browned butter and roasted nuts.
Chardonnay and Shiraz also do well in Hunter Valley.