TN:Tyrrells Belford Semillon 1998
Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:33 am
From the Belford vineyard, characterised by its sandy, almost talc like, free draining soil, this is a classic representation of Hunter semillon.
Tasted over two days, this is clearly ripe yr Sem, with a richer golden colour and a hint of riper fruit on the nose (But don't be fooled, this wine is bone dry and weighs in at at only 10% alc/vol).
The nose opens with some slightly toasty, bread like developed characters, but this is quickly swallowed up by floral lime and green apple fruit. The nose is youthful and vibrant, with the toasty characters proving to be a mere hint of what this wine may become.
Over two days the palate reinforced the opinion that Hunter sem is Australia's best white, with seeringly fresh apple & citrus fruit characters, aided by a hint of honey richness, but its only a hint- the acid profile of this wine is a lesson in perfection.
0mnipotent natural acidity sits in perfect balance with the understated fruit flavours to create the sort of incessantly dry, but never heartburn inducing, acid-dominant palate structure that cleanses all before it.
For me, this wine is damned close to the perfect expression of terroir & the ideal wine to feed any disenchanted wine critic's palate. Low in alcohol, high on regional and varietal expression, with a tightly bound, perfectly balanced structure that has you wanting more (and happily drinking more, the whole bottle is only 6 standard drinks) every time.
Over the course of two days the wine simply became more floral and expressive, with that same, perfect cohesion between toasty development, green apple fruit and beautful grape acids that make this not only easy to drink, but a perfect food wine (dry,fresh and refined but overlaid by a tiny smidgen of honey richness).
Ideally needing another 5 yrs in a cool dark place, this is the sort of wine that I love to drink- and at $30 a bottle it is ridiculously good value to boot. Exceptional 96/100
Junior
Tasted over two days, this is clearly ripe yr Sem, with a richer golden colour and a hint of riper fruit on the nose (But don't be fooled, this wine is bone dry and weighs in at at only 10% alc/vol).
The nose opens with some slightly toasty, bread like developed characters, but this is quickly swallowed up by floral lime and green apple fruit. The nose is youthful and vibrant, with the toasty characters proving to be a mere hint of what this wine may become.
Over two days the palate reinforced the opinion that Hunter sem is Australia's best white, with seeringly fresh apple & citrus fruit characters, aided by a hint of honey richness, but its only a hint- the acid profile of this wine is a lesson in perfection.
0mnipotent natural acidity sits in perfect balance with the understated fruit flavours to create the sort of incessantly dry, but never heartburn inducing, acid-dominant palate structure that cleanses all before it.
For me, this wine is damned close to the perfect expression of terroir & the ideal wine to feed any disenchanted wine critic's palate. Low in alcohol, high on regional and varietal expression, with a tightly bound, perfectly balanced structure that has you wanting more (and happily drinking more, the whole bottle is only 6 standard drinks) every time.
Over the course of two days the wine simply became more floral and expressive, with that same, perfect cohesion between toasty development, green apple fruit and beautful grape acids that make this not only easy to drink, but a perfect food wine (dry,fresh and refined but overlaid by a tiny smidgen of honey richness).
Ideally needing another 5 yrs in a cool dark place, this is the sort of wine that I love to drink- and at $30 a bottle it is ridiculously good value to boot. Exceptional 96/100
Junior