One of the lovely things about Hunter Semillon is that it's tremendously revealing of vintage conditions and site, something it has in common with Riesling. It's interesting to compare this single vineyard wine with the Stevens tasted the other day. Both quite different in character.
A powdery, floral, perfumed nose, perhaps slightly flinty, definitely subtle and suggestive of a tight wine to follow. Entry is lively with acidity and fruit flavour, both of which intertwine and flow in a focused line to the middle palate. Here we have a Semillon that feels somewhat austere, with feminine, tight fruit flavours that are light yet intense. Acidity isn't forbidding, but it is both finer and more persistent than the Stevens, lending an attractive sourness to the wine and a sophisticated mouthfeel. The after palate shows more tight, flinty flavour and leads to a very clean finish that leaves the mouth refreshed yet coated with delicate citrus fruit notes.
This is a subtle, refined wine that is nonetheless approachable due to the relative softness of the acidity. In a sense, it's a wine that falls between seats. On the one hand, most people would get more satisfaction from a more forward wine with greater fruit weight. On the other, I wonder if this wine has the structure to age over the long term? Still, a nice wine.
Price: $A18.50
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: January 2008
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