Sémillon

Also: Semillón

Sémillon is a high-quality grape that lives in the shadow of the more famous Sauvignon Blanc, its historic blending partner in Bordeaux. Its berries have thin skins, making it highly prone to noble rot (botrytis cinerea), a crucial phenomenon for producing the great sweet wines of Sauternes. As a dry varietal, the most recognized examples come from Hunter Valley in Australia, where it produces extraordinary aging wines that evolve toward honey, walnut, and beeswax complexity. That capacity for evolution is one of Sémillon's great secrets: young wines are understated, but at 10–15 years they transform. In Argentina, Sémillon was the foundation of Mendoza white wine between 1930 and 1950, but fell out of favor. Today there is a recovery movement, especially in Tupungato and the Alto Valle de Río Negro where old vineyards remain. Modern Argentine varietals are showing that the grape has far more potential than it had been given credit for.