100 Year Old Vines Semillon 2023
$80.00 / bottle
WINEMAKING
100 Year Old VInes Semillon 2023: Hand-picked and basket pressed, this carefully crafted wine is matured for seven months in the finest seasoned French oak puncheons, enhancing aroma, whilst building flavour complexity, depth and length. Although approachable in its youth, this exceptional Barossa Semillon has considerable breadth and length of flavour and can cellar for up to twenty years.
Many priceless old vine Semillon vineyards are under threat in the Barossa, however in making this wine we have preserved an important part of the Barossa’s heritage. The nose shows lifted aromas of citrus fruits and lemon butter with a hint of vanilla from partial wild yeast and barrel fermentation and maturation. The palate is delicate, yet intense, with great line and length finishing with a natural and refreshing acidity.
TASTING NOTES
Honey, Lemon, Grapefruit and hints of pineapple on the nose. Lively, fresh citrus and stonefruit on the fleshy palate with clean, fresh acidity on a long lingering finish. A seamless wine of fine acid structure and intense varietal flavours driving the length on the palate.
Awards:
97 Points – Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
95 Points – Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal 2024
95 Points – Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot
95 Points – Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
93 Points – Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot
92 Points – Angus Hughson, Vinous
91 Points – Aaron Brasher, Huon Hooke’s The Real Review
SUITABLE FOR VEGANS AND VEGETARIANS
Reviews
97 Points
Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
Pristine and fabulously styled, the elegantly fragrant bouquet shows lime cordial, lemongrass, mango and green tea aromas, followed by a concentrated palate displaying fine focus and exceptional drive. Brilliantly structured by refined texture and perfectly pitched acidity, finishing impressively long and engaging. At its best: 2027 to 2043.
95 Points
Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal 2024
Pale colour. Classic camomile, pure lime aromas with hint slatey notes. Pure, tight and minerally with lime cordial, camomile, crispy apple flavours and fresh linear acidity. A touch of torque at the finish. Racy and refined wine with superb length. Let it age for a year. Drink 2025–2035
95 Points
Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot
A wonderful reminder of how good Barossa Semillon can be, this is from vines that are more than 100 years old. After basket pressing it was matured for seven months in seasoned oak. The result is a wine of tremendous texture and mouthfeel but with a fine and precise long finish. Displaying a typical waxy lemon character, this is super stuff and great in the cellar. Drink by: 2024-2042
95 Points
Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
Barossa semillon is deserving of a lot more airtime than it receives; 100-year-old vines here, hand picked, basket pressed and matured for seven months in seasoned French oak puncheons. Textural, finely focused and showing wonderful clarity and tension with waxy lemon fruits, white flowers, stone, almond paste and liminal hints of dried grass. Beautiful to drink now or pop it in the cellar. Drink by 2040
93 Points
Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot
It is far from uncommon to enjoy red wines from South Australia that come from vines more than a century in age. It is much less common to see whites of that great age. There are 2,700 bottles of this venerable old Semillon from the Barossa. The wine spent seven months in older French oak puncheons after barrel fermentation.
A lovely gleaming pale lemon hue. The nose offers notes of lemon curd, vanilla and spices, hints of grapefruit pith. This is bright and intense with good energy. A supple texture, with a fine line of citrussy acidity. Decent length here and a clean finish. This is, unsurprisingly, very different to Hunter Semillons. Still has another good ten years ahead.
92 Points
Angus Hughson, Vinous
This 2023 old vine Barossa Semillon is restrained yet shows plenty of promise with wafts of lanolin, melon and beeswax with touches of oak maturation. A subtle grip and creaminess to the texture with nutty oak peaking through plus a lengthy finish show good potential although right now it remains embryonic and tightly bound. Drink by: 2028-2035
91 Points
Aaron Brasher, Huon Hooke's The Real Review
Lifted aromas of nutty oak, vanilla, lemon curd, stone fruit and citrus pith. Mouth-filling, textured, layered and long. Driven by a core of mealy, lemony flavours along with pithy acidity and a smart drive of punchy acidity. 2024-2034
