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Semillon White Wine
Semillon
Sémillon
Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, most notably in France and Australia.
In France, the Sémillon grape is grown mostly in Bordeaux. There, it is blended with Sauvignon blanc and Muscadelle. When dry, it is referred to as Bordeaux blanc, this is allowed to be made in the names of Pessac-Léognan, Entre-deux-mers and other smaller less knoen regions. In this form, Sémillon is the lesser percentage of the blend
When used to make sweet white wines of Bordeaux, the likes of the wines of Sauternes and Barsac, it is usally the bigger percentage used. In such wines, the Sémillon is attacked by what is called "noble rot" which concentrates the sugar present in the pulp by consuming most the water and grape.
Sémillon is widely grown in Australia, particularly in the Hunter Valley directly north of Sydney. There are 4 types of Sémillon-based wines made there, the commercial type, often blended with Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, the sweet type, after that of Sauternes, the complex, minerally, early picked type which has great longevity; and, last of all equally high in quality style which receives oak handling.
The latter two styles, pioneered by McWilliam's Mount Pleasant and Tyrrell's, are considered to be indigenous to Australia.
In the 19th century the grape covered nearly 100% percent of South Africa's vines and Chile's post-war vineyards were made up of over 75 percent Sémillon. Both countries still grow the grape for cultivation but in greatly reduced quantities.
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