Top Ranked Wines awarded : Cellar Reserve McLeish Semillon 2013
Hunter Valley semillon is one of Australia’s great vinous treasures – but it needs time in bottle to truly reveal its brilliance. Traditionally styled Hunter Valley semillons are bright, fresh, and relatively simple wines on release, but after a few years in bottle they start to develop layers of complexity and intrigue, building rich notes of honey, toast, lanolin, and nuts. The best news is that you don’t need either a personal cellar or a large fortune to drink properly aged Hunter Valley semillon – many producers hold back portions of their stock to sell as a ‘museum release’ when the wines reach maturity, and these wines generally remain reasonably priced. With so much value ready to be found in this misunderstood region’s unique aged semillons, we thought a Deep Dive was called for.
Tasting notes from the judges
2013 McLeish Estate Semillon
This wine was selected in the top six by Ling, Thomson and Meyer, who each responded to its complexity, freshness and aged character. “This was my wine of the day,” said Ling. “Ever-so-complex aromatics: imagine overcooking your toast by thirty seconds or so, then smearing it with loads of butter and lime marmalade. Sensational. Loads of umami goodness on the palate, cuddled by sherbet-y acidity that is still pinging.” Thomson was similarly charmed, noting “lovely toasty notes aromatically, together with lemon curd in the mid-palate and fresh green melon in the background.” She praised the integration of fruit weight, texture and acidity, adding, “in spite of the years I suspect this might have, it’s still really fresh. I could drink a lot of this!” Meyer found “gravelly minerality … baked nuts and toast … Meyer lemon, Fuji apple, grilled nectarines, cashew, pecorino cheese,” describing the texture as “an open weave, with plenty of fleshiness” and a coppery mineral finish.
Our panel: Andrew Ling, winemaker, Pepper Tree and Carillion; Belinda Thomson, winemaker, Crawford River Wines; Luke Campbell, sales representative, Domaine Wine Shippers; Beatrice Checkley, sales representative, Joval Wines; Blake Meyer, wine buyer, Reed House; Michelle Nielsen, sommelier, City Wine Shop.