| Semillon Tasting Report |
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Well, after last months Rose’ tasting, just about
anything would have been a welcome change for our
group of tasters. However, I must say that as a whole,
the group did not care a whole lot for the majority of
these wines. I found them to be very interesting and
the one thing that no’ one could deny was the fact that
they paired really well with food. In fact, if you were
looking for a wine to serve with a bowl of assorted
fruits such as mangos, pears, peaches and apples,
Semillon would be ideal.
As I mentioned in our “Wine of the Month – Semillon”
page, Semillon wines come in a variety of different
flavors and styles and this point was driven home in
our tasting. I would venture to say that not one of
these eight Semillon wines that we tasted were alike.
It was really quite interesting and I don’t think that
has ever happened before in one of our staff tastings.
Unfortunately, the oldest one we had in the tasting was
only four years old, being from the 2001 vintage, but it
far outscored the other wines in the tasting and I do
mean far!
The majority of our wines in the tasting came from
Australia and Bordeaux, France with one lone oddball
from New Zealand thrown in the mix for good
measure. I was proud of the fact that our group
ventured outside of the US for their wines, but I do
regret not having any Semillon wines from Washington
State in our tasting. I believe that they would have
showed really well. With the exception of the top
scoring wine from Australia, the scores were
extremely tight with none of the other wines able to
break away from the pack. The highest scoring wine,
however, murdered the competition.
We had plenty of food to try out with these wines
including a gourmet pizza. Pizza? With a white
wine? Well I didn’t get to try that combination out
personally, but I didn’t hear anyone else complain
about it. We also had chicken empanadas, Cajun
Alfredo tortellini, assorted cheeses and fruits to go
along with the wines. Everything paired extremely
well with at least a couple of the wines.
And speaking of the wines, here they are:
anything would have been a welcome change for our
group of tasters. However, I must say that as a whole,
the group did not care a whole lot for the majority of
these wines. I found them to be very interesting and
the one thing that no’ one could deny was the fact that
they paired really well with food. In fact, if you were
looking for a wine to serve with a bowl of assorted
fruits such as mangos, pears, peaches and apples,
Semillon would be ideal.
As I mentioned in our “Wine of the Month – Semillon”
page, Semillon wines come in a variety of different
flavors and styles and this point was driven home in
our tasting. I would venture to say that not one of
these eight Semillon wines that we tasted were alike.
It was really quite interesting and I don’t think that
has ever happened before in one of our staff tastings.
Unfortunately, the oldest one we had in the tasting was
only four years old, being from the 2001 vintage, but it
far outscored the other wines in the tasting and I do
mean far!
The majority of our wines in the tasting came from
Australia and Bordeaux, France with one lone oddball
from New Zealand thrown in the mix for good
measure. I was proud of the fact that our group
ventured outside of the US for their wines, but I do
regret not having any Semillon wines from Washington
State in our tasting. I believe that they would have
showed really well. With the exception of the top
scoring wine from Australia, the scores were
extremely tight with none of the other wines able to
break away from the pack. The highest scoring wine,
however, murdered the competition.
We had plenty of food to try out with these wines
including a gourmet pizza. Pizza? With a white
wine? Well I didn’t get to try that combination out
personally, but I didn’t hear anyone else complain
about it. We also had chicken empanadas, Cajun
Alfredo tortellini, assorted cheeses and fruits to go
along with the wines. Everything paired extremely
well with at least a couple of the wines.
And speaking of the wines, here they are:
| Scrubby Rise 2001 Wirra Wirra Vineyards – McLaren Vale, Australia |
| Semillon 50% / Sauvignon Blanc 35% / Viognier 15% |
Notes – Upon your nose entering the
glass, you encounter a bit of honey and
almonds with hints of saffron, but they
mislead you because once in your mouth,
you are treated to lovely lemon accents
and other citrus flavors that ride along on
the wonderful, creamy body that this wine
delivers.
Comments – This was the first wine in our
tasting and unfortunately for the rest of
the wines, it set the bar entirely too high.
It was almost everyone’s favorite without
exception. The honey aromas in the nose
should have clued us in on its age as it
was the oldest of our tasting. Wonderful,
a great wine for a summer dish or light
seafood. I highly recommend it. Besides,
how can you not love a name like Scrubby
Rise?
glass, you encounter a bit of honey and
almonds with hints of saffron, but they
mislead you because once in your mouth,
you are treated to lovely lemon accents
and other citrus flavors that ride along on
the wonderful, creamy body that this wine
delivers.
Comments – This was the first wine in our
tasting and unfortunately for the rest of
the wines, it set the bar entirely too high.
It was almost everyone’s favorite without
exception. The honey aromas in the nose
should have clued us in on its age as it
was the oldest of our tasting. Wonderful,
a great wine for a summer dish or light
seafood. I highly recommend it. Besides,
how can you not love a name like Scrubby
Rise?
| Score - B+ |
| Price - $11.00 |
| Sileni 2002 Semillon – Hawkes Bay, New Zealand |
Notes – Very unusual right off the bat
with a sour apple jolly rancher-like aroma
and also a whiff of Sardines (no kidding,
we really smelt sardines and it wasn’t
necessarily a bad thing either). On the
palate, it was quite sour upfront by the
initial attack of acidity, but it gave way to
a honeyed peach flavor that persisted on
what was the longest finish of all the wines
tasted.
Comments – Impressive in that, I wasn’t
even aware that New Zealand was
dabbling in Semillon wines. At least they
don’t get much pub for them anyway. A
good companion on a hot day with some
assorted fruits or maybe a light fish
entree’.
with a sour apple jolly rancher-like aroma
and also a whiff of Sardines (no kidding,
we really smelt sardines and it wasn’t
necessarily a bad thing either). On the
palate, it was quite sour upfront by the
initial attack of acidity, but it gave way to
a honeyed peach flavor that persisted on
what was the longest finish of all the wines
tasted.
Comments – Impressive in that, I wasn’t
even aware that New Zealand was
dabbling in Semillon wines. At least they
don’t get much pub for them anyway. A
good companion on a hot day with some
assorted fruits or maybe a light fish
entree’.
| Score - B- |
| Around - $15.00 |
| Chateau Bonnet 2003 – Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux, France |
Notes – I think the thing this wine had
going most for it was an incredible nose,
bursting with fruity goodness with the
likes of tangerines, nectarines and
apricots. However, once in your mouth,
those wonderful fruit aromas disappear
rapidly into what amounts to only a slight
tease of apricot and an abrupt finish.
Comments – I should point out that this
wine tied with the Rosemount for third
place with identical scores. Hard to say
whether this wine added or complimented
food, I felt it was rather neutral and
therefore didn’t have much to say. The
nose on this wine definitely saved it from
a worse score.
going most for it was an incredible nose,
bursting with fruity goodness with the
likes of tangerines, nectarines and
apricots. However, once in your mouth,
those wonderful fruit aromas disappear
rapidly into what amounts to only a slight
tease of apricot and an abrupt finish.
Comments – I should point out that this
wine tied with the Rosemount for third
place with identical scores. Hard to say
whether this wine added or complimented
food, I felt it was rather neutral and
therefore didn’t have much to say. The
nose on this wine definitely saved it from
a worse score.
| Score - B- |
| Around - $9.00 |
| Rosemount Semillon 2002 – South Eastern Australia |
Notes – This Semillon came from left field
and no’ one ever saw it coming, I’m quite
sure of it! A tangy nose with perhaps
candied limes and gooseberries followed
up with a palate full of lychees and more
goofy candied lime treats.
Comments - Extremely different from all
the rest which sparked either an “I love
it!” or an “I hate it!” from the crowd. I
fell in the latter category. I found the
flavor of this wine to be altogether strange
and awkward. I can’t even begin to tell
you what food items to pair it with.
Maybe vanilla ice cream, I don’t know!
and no’ one ever saw it coming, I’m quite
sure of it! A tangy nose with perhaps
candied limes and gooseberries followed
up with a palate full of lychees and more
goofy candied lime treats.
Comments - Extremely different from all
the rest which sparked either an “I love
it!” or an “I hate it!” from the crowd. I
fell in the latter category. I found the
flavor of this wine to be altogether strange
and awkward. I can’t even begin to tell
you what food items to pair it with.
Maybe vanilla ice cream, I don’t know!
| About - $8.00 |
| Score - B- |
| Jacobs Creek Semillon/Chardonnay 2003 – Barossa Valley, Australia |
Notes – The nose was a bit off-putting.
There were traces of hazelnut, petrol and
lemon, but in all truthfulness, it really
smelled like a rubber glove. There’s a
quick burst of acidity upfront that
showcased citrus, lime and grapefruit, but
all of those flavors checked out hurriedly
on the finish.
Comments – Well it tasted better than the
nose implied it would. The finish was
much shorter than to my liking, but it
could be a good little food wine. Maybe
with some roasted chicken or other white
meat.
There were traces of hazelnut, petrol and
lemon, but in all truthfulness, it really
smelled like a rubber glove. There’s a
quick burst of acidity upfront that
showcased citrus, lime and grapefruit, but
all of those flavors checked out hurriedly
on the finish.
Comments – Well it tasted better than the
nose implied it would. The finish was
much shorter than to my liking, but it
could be a good little food wine. Maybe
with some roasted chicken or other white
meat.
| Score - B- |
| Price - $6.00 |
| Chateau de Mirambeau 2003 – Bordeaux, France |
Notes – Solid and bold aromas of kiwis
and apricots like lush tropical gardens,
these of course continued through to your
palate as you washed down the waves of
tropical fruit and took in its floral
perfumes.
Comments – With its strong floral
accents, it kind of reminded me just a little
bit of Santa Margehrita’s Pinot Grigio.
This was actually my second highest
scoring wine, but a few felt differently
about it. I think this would be fine to drink
by itself as an aperitif or with light foods
and pasta salads.
and apricots like lush tropical gardens,
these of course continued through to your
palate as you washed down the waves of
tropical fruit and took in its floral
perfumes.
Comments – With its strong floral
accents, it kind of reminded me just a little
bit of Santa Margehrita’s Pinot Grigio.
This was actually my second highest
scoring wine, but a few felt differently
about it. I think this would be fine to drink
by itself as an aperitif or with light foods
and pasta salads.
| Score - B- |
| Price - $11.00 |
| Chateau Thieuley 2002 – Bordeaux, France |
Notes – Smelled very much like a typical
Sauvignon Blanc wine with its pronounced
cat’s wee wee and asparagus nose.
Probably had some Sauvignon Blanc in
the blend, but in what proportion, I don’t
know. On the palate it was quite neutral
with a spike of acidity upfront only to fade
into a bitter almond and peach finish.
Comments – Oh to find something positive
to say here....nope! I can’t! How it didn’t
come in dead last, I’ll never know! You
could drink it with food, but why?
Sauvignon Blanc wine with its pronounced
cat’s wee wee and asparagus nose.
Probably had some Sauvignon Blanc in
the blend, but in what proportion, I don’t
know. On the palate it was quite neutral
with a spike of acidity upfront only to fade
into a bitter almond and peach finish.
Comments – Oh to find something positive
to say here....nope! I can’t! How it didn’t
come in dead last, I’ll never know! You
could drink it with food, but why?
| Score - B- |
| Price - $13.00 |
| Loan Semillon 2002 – Barossa Valley, Australia |
Notes – A very unusual waxy red
delicious apple aroma that treats you to a
surplus of red and yellow apples on the
palate. Much sweeter than all of the
other wines. If the Rosemount came from
left field, this wine entered from the
opposite side of the park!
Comments – A very interesting an
unusual wine, one that I found quite
charming. As you can see from its place
in our tasting, I was virtually alone in my
opinion of it. It was astonishing to note
that you really could smell fruit wax.
Once you tasted this with a slice of apple,
the flavors really exploded. Lighter
dishes and fruits would work well with it.
delicious apple aroma that treats you to a
surplus of red and yellow apples on the
palate. Much sweeter than all of the
other wines. If the Rosemount came from
left field, this wine entered from the
opposite side of the park!
Comments – A very interesting an
unusual wine, one that I found quite
charming. As you can see from its place
in our tasting, I was virtually alone in my
opinion of it. It was astonishing to note
that you really could smell fruit wax.
Once you tasted this with a slice of apple,
the flavors really exploded. Lighter
dishes and fruits would work well with it.
| Score - B- |
| Price - $20.00 |
was that evident than in the Rosemount, which was a couple people’s favorite, and the
was that evident than in the Rosemount, which was a couple people’s favorite, and the
Loan, which many people were turned off by. Despite all of the wines being slightly
different from one another these two wines in particular were absolutely nothing like all
the rest and they really stood out, one for the better and one for the worse. I bet under
different circumstances the Loan would have been a hit. I’m defending it anyway!
different circumstances the Loan would have been a hit. I’m defending it anyway!
was that evident than in the Rosemount, which was a couple people’s favorite, and the
Loan, which many people were turned off by. Despite all of the wines being slightly
different from one another these two wines in particular were absolutely nothing like all
the rest and they really stood out, one for the better and one for the worse. I bet under
different circumstances the Loan would have been a hit. I’m defending it anyway!
different circumstances the Loan would have been a hit. I’m defending it anyway!
