Cirillo 1850 Ancestor Vine Semillon 2017

My first encounter with aged semillon was back in 2014. I freed a bottle of a ’94 Hunter Valley relic that served as a dust gatherer at a small bottle-o and I fell in love immediately. The truth is that I could hardly think of anything more uniquely Australian than varietal semillon, yet it might be even more under-appreciated than riesling. Victim of the cancel culture? Perhaps it is yet to be truly discovered for many of us! 

There is a collection of old vines deep in the Barossa Valley, which might be the oldest known semillon vineyard in the world. That’s right, a piece of living wine history at our doorstep. Historically Barossa Semillon distinguished itself from the Hunter Valley as a ripe and fuller style with pronounced oak influence. Marco Cirillo opts for freshness and harvests the grapes earlier from his ancient vines for a crisp acid line. The result speaks for itself. 

Pale lime in colour, showing subtle aromas of lemon aspen, hay, and papaya skin. Low alcohol but by no means less flavour; think lemon sherbet, crushed green ants with yoghurt undertones. The round mouthfeel is beautifully balanced by the linear acidity, subtle salinity and pithy bitterness. A bargain for the price and an affordable special occasion wine! Especially considering how meaningful those 1850 vines are for Australian wine! And… it will only get better in the cellar!