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Sémillon
[say-mee-YOHN; seh-mee-YOHN (Fr. say-mee-YAWN)]

White-wine grape that is planted around the world—Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, South Africa, eastern Europe, and the United States—and, in most cases, turns out neutral-flavored, mediocre wines. By itself, Sémillon generally produces wines that are not well-ROUNDED. Combine Sémillon with SAUVIGNON BLANC, however, and the resulting wines can be quite extraordinary. Sémillon marries well with oak and tends to produce high-ALCOHOL, low-ACIDITY wines that have good EXTRACT and TEXTURE but pale AROMA. Sauvignon Blanc adds the missing acidity and aroma, while Sémillon tempers Sauvignon Blanc’s tendency toward GRASSINESS. Blending the two grapes creates a richer, more COMPLEX wine than either can create alone. Indicative of this style are the white wines from BORDEAUX, which often use from 50 to 80 percent Sémillon in the BLEND, producing DRY, marvelously complex wines with great AGING ability. Bordeaux also produces the world-famous sweet wines from SAUTERNES, which capitalize on Sémillon’s susceptibility to BOTRYTIS CINEREA, a mold that shrivels the grapes, intensifying the levels of sugar and ACIDS. The resulting wines are RICH, HONEYED, CONCENTRATED, and expensive. In Australia, the image of this grape’s inability to stand alone is blurred by the world-class, dry Sémillon wines from HUNTER VALLEY (which are sometimes called Hunter Valley Riesling) and—to some extent—the dry, oaked wines produced in the Barossa Valley. Tremendous recognition is also going to Australia’s De Bortoli Wines for their botrytised, Sauternes-style Sémillon wine. In the United States, Sémillon grapes have not been extensively grown. There are elegant Sémillon wines coming out of the Pacific Northwest (like those from Washington’s Hogue Cellars), but much of the west coast Sémillon is used simply for blending. In the United States and Australia, there are now Sémillon/Chardonnay blends appearing on retail shelves. Sémillon is also known as Chevrier, Green Grape, and Wyndruif.
Related Links: Bendigo, Bergerac, Graves de Vayres AC, Franschhoek WO
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc.
1995 based on THE WINE LOVER'S COMPANION,
by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst.

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