Strong lemon and lime, toast, tropical fruit, salad, and a lanolin note into weaving through the nose. Almost a sweet musk/confectionery note also.
Creamy fruit salad and toast on the palate that is medium weight and drives long through the finish with a tight acidity. Very food-friendly, and easy to smash through a bottle. Drink over the next five years.
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Screwcap, 11.5% alc. Vibrant and bright light gold-yellow.
Buttered toast, lemon and lime, woody spices, light honey, orange peel, and green herbs on the nose.
More of the same on the palate, but more sweetly fruited. Firmish acid is currently in balance. Weighty finish of notable length.
Opinion: Best Semillon I’ve had outside of the Hunter Valley, and can hold up to those wine, particularly in its richness. Much better than my previous bottle of the 2004. Good drinking now and for the next 6 years.
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Christmas in July (Ben and Estella's place, Parramatta): Honey, toast, butter, a hit of kerosene and apple. Quite rich smelling. Juicy, honeyed, textured, rich and creamy with glycerol thickness, less linear than the Hunter equivalents and probably slightly more forward. Nice.
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First time i've had this wine, and i can see why people rave about it. Waxy, rich but with enough balancing acidity to make it very morish. Lots of complexity, but still seems fresh and very drinkable. Its one of those wines that i can see appealing to both wine geeks and a wider crowd. Very glad i have 4 more bottles. No idea if it is at its peak or not, but certainly drinking very well at the moment.
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My last bottle of a wine that has served me well over the years, through many a hot day. Love the label, and detest the rebranding of this wine from the '06 vintage. But time marches on I guess. I think I've been a bit harsh on previous notes/vintages of this. It offers consistency and drinkability without sacrificing complexity. What more could you ask for in a sub-$30 wine that ages well for 10 years? Plenty of toast and honey aromas, with some honeydew and vanilla supporting. Hard to tell how what's come from the oak influence and what's come from the fruit and the bottle age. Where this differs from Hunter sem is the palate. Viscous and buttery, full bodied with less citrus and obvious acidity, and more, I guess, generosity. Good length, nice finish. One problem (ever since my fiancé pointed this out to me I haven't been able to ignore it): a distinct flavour/texture association with blue cheese. Has a similar stinkiness and tangy quality... Good if you like blue cheese I guess, but it does distract a little for me. Otherwise, a solid wine I'll always have some good memories of.
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Screwcap, 11.5% alc. Pale yellow with a hint of green. Sweet lemon-barley lollies. Pepper and salt. Spice. A little toast and a slight grassiness. By day 5, takes on Lavender and bath salts. In the mouth, it’s largely about lemon and toast. Delicate but mouth-filling, finishing with a surprising slight sweetness. Tight structure from the acid, but also has a waxy feel. Subdued, relative to the nose.
Opinion: Lovely wine of delicate mouthfeel. Looking young. No rush, however drinking beautifully now A showcase for the variety and the region, though not hugely complex at present.
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Perfectly pleasant. Very lemony and not too complex. Went well with the salmon I managed to burn. Think I preferred this one a bit younger. It may well mellow out a bit more. Hold.
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Clear, deep lemon tint with a clean (screw cap) light intensity nose. Hints of herbs, lemon and honey. Palate is dry with low to medium acidity and light body. Great balance of citrus fruit, zest and biscuit after taste which doesn't last very long. Great with fresh seafood or chowder, as well as vegetable soups or salads. Might benefit from aging a bit longer.
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Yellow with a hint of gold. Lemons, honey and hay on the nose, with lemons, honey and minerals in the mouth. Will live for quite a few years more but drinking very nicely now. I still prefer Hunter semillon though!
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8th Annual Blind Challenge (The Square, Mayfair, London): Pale, high acid, limey - fine and penetrating - Ken's guess of Hunter Valley semillon seemed about right, but was quickly swatted away and so I was thinking Alsace pinot blanc - turns out it was only the Hunter Valley bit that was wrong
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2011 Sydney Royal Wine Show - Trophy Wines lunch (Darling Harbour, Sydney): Trophy – Best Wine of Show {screwcap, 11.5%} Just as impressive as this morning’s bottle. A aging smoke on toast nose, which collect honeyed flavours with grass and hay on the trip along the tongue. Bone dry and savoury, but still with rich semillon fruit, medium-bodied weight and with a long even finish. Marvellous wine, and aought to drink well for another 5 years easily. Andrew Wigan collected the trophy for Lehmanns, and acknowledged their debt to the Hunter style, along with half apologising for winning the Sydney Show trophy with a South Australian semillon!
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2011 Sydney Royal Wine Show - Exhibitor's Tasting (Olympic Park, Homebush): Trophy: Best Wine of Show {screwcap, 11.5%} Lovely developed nose of smoke & toast. The palate offers a glorious honeyed richness, despite being bone dry, with still some phenolic grip, medium-high acid, and medium-bodied weight. It’s powerful but not bludgeoning, with a long, aged yet fresh finish. A tribute to the variety; a super wine and a worthy trophy winner.
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Lives up to the hype. Outstanding example of the variety, right up there with the best Margaret River has to offer in Semillon. I have some 2003, this is better. Strong nose tending toward a riesling bouquet, lovely light citrus and golden colour. Great balance of acidity. Yum!
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Straw yellow in the glass , the nose has dull fig and nectarine fruit. The palate has amazing texture and mouth feel with stone fruits, firm flinty oak and some slight lemon zest. The palate itself is highly developed after 5 years of bottle age. There is a mineral acidity and firm structure throughout that will allow this wine to cellar for a considerable period. This wine has all the elements that could make it an Australian classic and the benchmark for Barossa Semillon. Review Link - www.winereviewer.com.au (drink by 2015)
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12/23/2021 - mphatic wrote:
Screwcap, 11.5% alc. Bright, mid-gold.
Strong lemon and lime, toast, tropical fruit, salad, and a lanolin note into weaving through the nose. Almost a sweet musk/confectionery note also.
Creamy fruit salad and toast on the palate that is medium weight and drives long through the finish with a tight acidity. Very food-friendly, and easy to smash through a bottle. Drink over the next five years.
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8/11/2020 - mphatic Likes this wine:
Screwcap, 11.5% alc. Vibrant and bright light gold-yellow.
Buttered toast, lemon and lime, woody spices, light honey, orange peel, and green herbs on the nose.
More of the same on the palate, but more sweetly fruited. Firmish acid is currently in balance. Weighty finish of notable length.
Opinion: Best Semillon I’ve had outside of the Hunter Valley, and can hold up to those wine, particularly in its richness. Much better than my previous bottle of the 2004. Good drinking now and for the next 6 years.
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7/19/2020 - chatters wrote:
Christmas in July (Ben and Estella's place, Parramatta): Honey, toast, butter, a hit of kerosene and apple. Quite rich smelling. Juicy, honeyed, textured, rich and creamy with glycerol thickness, less linear than the Hunter equivalents and probably slightly more forward. Nice.
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6/5/2020 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Textbook aus sem - lime. honey, toast - fresh and zingy - superb
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3/19/2019 - trepak wrote: 93 Points
First time i've had this wine, and i can see why people rave about it. Waxy, rich but with enough balancing acidity to make it very morish. Lots of complexity, but still seems fresh and very drinkable. Its one of those wines that i can see appealing to both wine geeks and a wider crowd. Very glad i have 4 more bottles. No idea if it is at its peak or not, but certainly drinking very well at the moment.
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5/8/2016 - mphatic wrote:
Screwcap. Pale yellow, still with a hint of green. Developing.
Nose of lemon barley, lanolin, and redcurrant. Wafts of passionfruit and fennel in the background.
In the mouth, it’s quite peppery, dry, and austere, dominated by lemon. The wine has good length and finishes clean.
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12/19/2015 - Milliontown wrote: 90 Points
My last bottle of a wine that has served me well over the years, through many a hot day. Love the label, and detest the rebranding of this wine from the '06 vintage. But time marches on I guess.
I think I've been a bit harsh on previous notes/vintages of this. It offers consistency and drinkability without sacrificing complexity. What more could you ask for in a sub-$30 wine that ages well for 10 years?
Plenty of toast and honey aromas, with some honeydew and vanilla supporting. Hard to tell how what's come from the oak influence and what's come from the fruit and the bottle age.
Where this differs from Hunter sem is the palate. Viscous and buttery, full bodied with less citrus and obvious acidity, and more, I guess, generosity. Good length, nice finish. One problem (ever since my fiancé pointed this out to me I haven't been able to ignore it): a distinct flavour/texture association with blue cheese. Has a similar stinkiness and tangy quality... Good if you like blue cheese I guess, but it does distract a little for me. Otherwise, a solid wine I'll always have some good memories of.
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12/4/2015 - Rupert wrote:
NadNash dinners: Taut, dry, mineral - exciting
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9/26/2015 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Great depth and bite, fresh energetic, exciting
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4/12/2015 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Piercing lime fruit, crystalline, and then there's this toasty bite - very exciting
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12/31/2014 - mphatic Likes this wine:
Screwcap, 11.5% alc. Pale yellow with a hint of green.
Sweet lemon-barley lollies. Pepper and salt. Spice. A little toast and a slight grassiness. By day 5, takes on Lavender and bath salts.
In the mouth, it’s largely about lemon and toast. Delicate but mouth-filling, finishing with a surprising slight sweetness. Tight structure from the acid, but also has a waxy feel. Subdued, relative to the nose.
Opinion: Lovely wine of delicate mouthfeel. Looking young. No rush, however drinking beautifully now A showcase for the variety and the region, though not hugely complex at present.
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9/9/2014 - Bromie Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mature semillon on the nose. Waxy and lemony. Good wine and still drinking well
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7/22/2014 - Rupert wrote: 93 Points
Extraordinary voluptuous tropical fruit, and a mad amount of toast. Spectacular
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1/19/2014 - Kerino wrote: 88 Points
Perfectly pleasant. Very lemony and not too complex. Went well with the salmon I managed to burn. Think I preferred this one a bit younger. It may well mellow out a bit more. Hold.
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10/14/2012 - Kerino wrote: 91 Points
lovely wine. fruity dry with lanolin and beeswax. very well made
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7/1/2012 - hrfdr wrote: 89 Points
Clear, deep lemon tint with a clean (screw cap) light intensity nose. Hints of herbs, lemon and honey. Palate is dry with low to medium acidity and light body. Great balance of citrus fruit, zest and biscuit after taste which doesn't last very long. Great with fresh seafood or chowder, as well as vegetable soups or salads. Might benefit from aging a bit longer.
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1/4/2012 - azzah wrote: 90 Points
Yellow with a hint of gold. Lemons, honey and hay on the nose, with lemons, honey and minerals in the mouth. Will live for quite a few years more but drinking very nicely now. I still prefer Hunter semillon though!
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6/3/2011 - Rupert wrote: 90 Points
8th Annual Blind Challenge (The Square, Mayfair, London): Pale, high acid, limey - fine and penetrating - Ken's guess of Hunter Valley semillon seemed about right, but was quickly swatted away and so I was thinking Alsace pinot blanc - turns out it was only the Hunter Valley bit that was wrong
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5/22/2011 - bn26 wrote: 97 Points
just magnificent rich green. complex bouquet. lingering finish, multi-layered. amazing wine. better than the 04 even I think.
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2/18/2011 - graemeg wrote:
2011 Sydney Royal Wine Show - Trophy Wines lunch (Darling Harbour, Sydney): Trophy – Best Wine of Show {screwcap, 11.5%} Just as impressive as this morning’s bottle. A aging smoke on toast nose, which collect honeyed flavours with grass and hay on the trip along the tongue. Bone dry and savoury, but still with rich semillon fruit, medium-bodied weight and with a long even finish. Marvellous wine, and aought to drink well for another 5 years easily. Andrew Wigan collected the trophy for Lehmanns, and acknowledged their debt to the Hunter style, along with half apologising for winning the Sydney Show trophy with a South Australian semillon!
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2/18/2011 - graemeg wrote:
2011 Sydney Royal Wine Show - Exhibitor's Tasting (Olympic Park, Homebush): Trophy: Best Wine of Show {screwcap, 11.5%} Lovely developed nose of smoke & toast. The palate offers a glorious honeyed richness, despite being bone dry, with still some phenolic grip, medium-high acid, and medium-bodied weight. It’s powerful but not bludgeoning, with a long, aged yet fresh finish. A tribute to the variety; a super wine and a worthy trophy winner.
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2/7/2011 - bn26 wrote: 94 Points
Lives up to the hype. Outstanding example of the variety, right up there with the best Margaret River has to offer in Semillon. I have some 2003, this is better. Strong nose tending toward a riesling bouquet, lovely light citrus and golden colour. Great balance of acidity. Yum!
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1/15/2011 - Patrick - winereviewer.com.au wrote: 95 Points
Straw yellow in the glass , the nose has dull fig and nectarine fruit. The palate has amazing texture and mouth feel with stone fruits, firm flinty oak and some slight lemon zest. The palate itself is highly developed after 5 years of bottle age. There is a mineral acidity and firm structure throughout that will allow this wine to cellar for a considerable period. This wine has all the elements that could make it an Australian classic and the benchmark for Barossa Semillon.
Review Link - www.winereviewer.com.au (drink by 2015)
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