See Saw Wine Company
See Saw Hunter Valley
2009
12.0% ABV | Price: about $11.50
A blend of 85% sémillon, 10% chardonnay, and 5% verdelho from Australia’s Hunter Valley, a wine region about 150km north of Sidney. This wine is actually a pale straw gold (though pink when viewed through rose-colored tulips), with a very faintly floral, lightly citrusy nose. It’s light-bodied on the palate and a bit briny, with some grassiness and pleasant acidity leading to a long, tart finish.
Not a serious wine, but not a stupid wine, either. Meaning: no evidence of oak, not a fruit-bomb, and not very alcoholic. Not pricey. Good thing.
*I received this wine as a press sample.
I have a mad passion for the Semillons of the Hunter Valley; specifically, the ones picked for low alcohol (usually around 11-12%) and packed with acidity for long aging. There are plenty of options in terms of price and degree of tautness upon release, but my favorites are the McWilliams Mount Pleasant Lovedale and the Tyrell’s Vat 1. Both of these wines served as inspiration for my own Forlorn Hope Nacré Semillon. The Hunter Valley also hosts a Semillon and seafood festival (http://www.huntersemillonandseafood.com.au/) which is, inconveniently for me, held during the northern hemisphere harvest so I’ve not yet been.
Go the Hunter!
Matthew, thanks so much for your comment. I’d not had a Hunter Valley Sémillon until this one, and am eager to try more. I’ll look for those you mentioned. Cheers!