Wine Regions & Grapes
Sampling of Wineries
Acorn Andrea Oberto Atlas Peak Benziger Beringer Blandy's Bodega Navarro Correas Burgans Cantina Terlano Chimney Rock Chronicle Domaine Carneros Domaine de la Mordoree Dow's Dr. Loosen Emilio Lustau Fonseca Foxen Gaston Riviere Glen Ellen Hess Collection Innocent Bystander Kendall-Jackson Korbel La Caudrina Luna Vineyards Madeira Wine Company Martin Codax Masi Merryvale Mulderbosch Navarro Vineyards Pahlmeyer Roederer Estate Ruggeri Sawyer Cellars Sbragia Six Sigma Winery St. James Steltzner Vineyards Trinchero Winery Trione V. Sattui Winery William Fevre Wilson Winery
Category Archives: Semillon
Chateau Suduiraut 2005
Chateau Suduiraut, Sauternes 1er Cru 2005 The nose features lots of honey, a bit of straw, tropical fruit notes and appropriate volatility. In the mouth it is thick and rich, lemony, tempered by acidity and reminiscent of a spoonful of … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Late Harvest White, Sauternes, Semillon
Tagged Suduiraut
Leave a comment
Chateau Gravas 2008
Chateau Gravas, Sauternes 2008 The nose shows a nice sense of tropical fruit, honey and minerality. In the mouth you’ll find a light-bodied Sauternes, yet one that hits the profile, albeit without the concentration of the big guns – yet … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Late Harvest White, Semillon, White Dessert
Tagged Chateau Gravas
Leave a comment
Le G de Chateau Guiraud
Chateau Guiraud, Bordeaux Blanc Sec, Le G de Chateau Guiraud 2007 The nose features straw, minerality, lanolin and stone fruit. There’s an evolved complexity that shows already. In the mouth there is a nice thread of acidity with the richness … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Leave a comment
V. Sattui Semillon 2008
Semillon in California seems to have a bit of a Rodney Dangerfield image, playing second fiddle behind the more photogenic stars of the viticultural landscape. Yet in Australia’s Hunter and Bordeaux’s Sauternes, it is the star. I was delighted to … Continue reading
Chateau Climens 2005
Chateau Climens, Barsac 2005 What is wonderful about this wine is the amount of fruit that shows, from citrus to the tropical notes of pineapple. Sure, there is the expected richness of honey and appropriate volatility, but the coupling of … Continue reading
Brokenwood Semillon 2004
Brokenwood, Hunter Valley, Oakey Creek Vineyard, Semillon 2004 Give this just 10 minutes in the glass to blow off a bit of sulfur. Then the toasty character comes on, quite a complex wine with nuttiness and a bit of spicy … Continue reading
Chateau d’Yquem
Chateau d’Yquem, Sauternes 2005 From the start, the nose features a complex mix of honey, vanilla, appropriate volatility, creme caramel and dried apricots. In the mouth it is broad and viscous, a wine whose texture is luscious. With time, the … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Late Harvest White, Sauternes, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, White Dessert
Tagged Chateau d'Yquem
Leave a comment
hazard hill Semillon Sauvignon 2008
hazard hill, Western Australia, semillon sauvignon Blanc 2008 Breezy and fresh, this wine shows grass and citrus in the nose. In the mouth it is crisp and clean, with concentrated flavors of lime and lime zest and a little petilance … Continue reading
Dolce 2004
Dolce, Napa Valley, Late Harvest Wine 2004 As I usually find with this wine, the emulation of Sauternes is quite apparent. In the nose there is honey, caramel, oak, tropical fruits and volatility. In the mouth the memory of my … Continue reading
Posted in California, Late Harvest White, Napa Valley, Semillon, White Dessert
Tagged Dolce
Leave a comment
Raymond-Lafon Sauternes 2004
Chateau Raymond-Lafon, Sauternes 2004 In the nose you’ll find honey and tropical fruit with appropriate volatility. In the mouth it is caramel, long lasting caramel, silky and balanced by lemony acidity. Planted 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon. The Famille Meslier … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Late Harvest White, Sauternes, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, White Dessert
1 Comment
Brokenwood Semillon 2008
Brokenwood, Hunter Valley, Semillon 2008 This Semillon is crisp and lean, with flavors of lemon and green apple. The experience is amplified by a bit of petillance. The Hunter is famous for producing lowish alcohol wines from early picked Semillon … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Semillon
5 Comments
Chateau Grillon 2002
Chateau Grillon, Sauternes 2002 In the nose there are dried apricots, hay and a bit of nuttiness. In the mouth the wine is moderately sweet, with moderate viscosity and a nice thread of balancing acidity. This was probably on the … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Late Harvest White, Sauternes, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, White Dessert
Leave a comment
Raymond White 2008
Raymond Vineyards, Napa Valley, Small Lot, White Wine 2008 This wine is crisp and ripe with the flavor of limes and oranges. The grapes behind this wine are 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Semillon. The Sauvignon was fermented and aged … Continue reading
deLorimier Lace 2006
deLorimier, Alexander Valley, Estate Bottled, Late Harvest, Lace 2006 This is rich and tropical with a lovely sense of dried apricots and balancing acidity. The botrytised grapes behind the wine are 55% Muscat Blanc and 45% Semillon, harvested at 29.9 … Continue reading
Chateau Gravas 2005
Chateau Gravas, Sauternes 2005 The nose features honey, flowers and minerality with an appropriate amount of volatility. In the mouth, the honey-essence and caramel are there in a light-bodied format with a touch of spiritous character. Previously I wrote: This … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Late Harvest White, Sauternes, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, White Dessert
Leave a comment
Chateau Guiraud Sauternes 2005
Chateau Guiraud, Sauternes 2005 Minerality, honey and tropical fruits mark the nose. The mouth is all caramel with hints of that minerality – destined to be drunk with creme caramel. 85 hectares are planted to 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Late Harvest White, Sauternes, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, White Dessert
Leave a comment
Bastor-Lamontagne Sauternes 2001
Chateau Bastor-Lamontagne, Sauternes 2001 This wine displays lots of tropical fruit in the nose, a sense of bananas and pineapple mixed with the mineral edge of appropriate volatility, though too much for some of the class. In the mouth, there … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Sauternes, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, White Dessert
Leave a comment
deLorimier Lace 2004
deLorimier, Alexander Valley, Estate Bottled, Late Harvest, Lace 2004 The nose combines bananas, caramel and minerality. The mouth is viscous without being cloying showcasing the tropical fruit in a rich way, as if dazzled with honey. The botrytised grapes behind … Continue reading
La Tour Blanche 2003
Chateau La Tour Blanche, Sauternes, 1er Cru 2003 The nose is marked by honey and minerality and appropriate VA. The pungency of the cleanser-like VA will certainly be too much for some as it does interfere with the fruit in … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Sauternes, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Leave a comment
Chateau Lagupeau 2007
Chateau Lagupeau, Graves 2007 The nose is a mix of bay leaves, fruit and chemical notes. In the mouth the wine is hard and lean with lots of acid. There’s a sense that this wine is aging prematurely and I’d … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Graves, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Leave a comment
G force
Chateau Guiraud, Bordeaux Blanc Sec, Le G de Chateau Guiraud 2006 This vintage is pretty hard to love in that the smell is all minerality and solvent notes. There’s viscosity and acidity but flavor? Sourced from vines with an average … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Leave a comment
Phoenix flight
When Vacu-Dry ceased operations in Sebastopol, California, many bemoaned the continuing decline of the apple industry in Sonoma’s West County region. Yet from those ashes many a high-flying phoenix has taken flight. The large and rather dingy industrial complex that … Continue reading
The sweet stuff
Chateau Doisy Daene Sauternes 2003 There’s lots of creme caramel and toastiness in this wine and a little lower on the RS scale than other Sauternes. The vineyard is planted to 87% Semillon, 12% Sauvignon Blanc and 1% Muscadelle. The … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Sauternes, Semillon
Leave a comment
Creme caramel company
Chateau Raymond-Lafon Sauternes 2003 Amazing balance for such a lusciously sweet wine with creme caramel flavors. Going back to the 2002, my notes again emphasize the complexity, concentration and appropriate VA levels. A class favorite, very rich and thick, very … Continue reading
Posted in France, Sauternes, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Leave a comment
The lush life in Napa
Dolce Napa Valley Late Harvest Wine 2003 This is the classic California Sauternes competitor, in flavor and in price. There’s a blend of pineapple and caramel with honey and minerality on a viscous palate where the flavor goes on and … Continue reading
Posted in California, Late Harvest White, Napa Valley, Semillon
Leave a comment
Sauternes on the cheap
Chateau Gravas Sauternes 2004 This wine hasn’t been a show stopper but it isn’t bad. I mean this in the best way possible. Sauternes from the heavyweight producers has become prohibitively expensive for many. The Gravas offers a glimpse of … Continue reading
Posted in France, Sauternes, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Leave a comment
Screamin’ Semillon
Pepper Tree Hunter Valley Semillon 2005 This baby is screaming with acidity – very green and right on target. Put it to bed for the long haul and enjoy it when it matures. 100% Semillon fermented in stainless. Winemaker Chris … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Semillon
Leave a comment
Remember White Bordeaux?
Chateau Guiraud Bordeaux Vin Blanc Sec 2005 The last bottle tasted in early 2007 was very fresh, combining high acid with depth of flavor. This bottle was on target again, with roundness to complement the acidity. Sourced from vines with … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, France, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Leave a comment
Hungary Reigns
The previous tasting in the California and Europe class in San Francisco pitted Baumard against Oremus. Tonight’s flight brings in a different top-flight producer, this time from Sauternes. Both the Raymond-Lafon and the Oremus will be tasted side-by-side. In both … Continue reading
Welcome to France
This flight features 3 whites and offers an opportunity to contrast acid levels, weight and residual sugar. Chateau Sainte-Marie Entre-Deux-Mers Vielles Vignes 2005 Of the 2004 I noted a perfect balance of the grapes used and a great value. This … Continue reading
Posted in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chablis, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Entre-Deux-Mers, France, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Uncategorized, Vouvray
Leave a comment
English