Semillon

I've never been a huge fan of Semillon. The few single varietals I have tried, including some from the Hunter Valley which is supposed to be the ideal place to grow and make good Semillon, have left me a bit cool about the grape. Unfortunately, all I've smelled is wet wool which is not very appealing. It's also a constituent of one of my least favourite styles of wine, white Bordeaux.

But all that changed yesterday.

I've had a bottle of Fairview Oom Pagel Semillon 2004 from South Africa in the wine rack for a while. I haven't tried it because I was told it was really good and I didn't want to be disappointed, a silly reason not to open the bottle. So after a hard week and in a relaxed mood with an impending holiday in Italy I opened it.

My views have changed.

It not only looked good in the glass, a lovely medium intensity gold, it had wonderfully complex aromas of citrus, pear and peach. In the mouth it was citrus, vanilla, peaches and pears with a lovely weight to it, balanced with an acidity that will ensure this wine could keep for a few years yet. The back label says it tastes of beeswax and I certainly see what they mean. Maybe that's what I'm describing with the fruit and weight I experienced.

If only all Semillons were like this. I note this vintage got 4.5 stars in John Platter's guide and that "Oom" means "Uncle". Given all the recent blog chatter about ratings I would give this an 18.5 out of 20 in my system.