150 Year Old Vines Semillon 2020
Tasting Notes

Honey, Lemon, Grapefruit and hints of pineapple on the nose. Lively, fresh citrus and stonefruit on the fleshy palate with clean, fresh acidity on a long lingering finish. A seamless wine of fine acid structure and intense varietal flavours driving the length on the palate. 

Winemaking

The grapes were hand picked, hand sorted and gently basket pressed before fermentation in a combination of temperature controlled stainless steel, and seasoned barrels. 

This is followed by seven months’ barrel maturation in our cellars with regular lees stirring to enhance aroma and structure whilst building flavor complexity. 

The Barossa is home to some of the world’s oldest ungrafted Semillon vines and the grapes for this wine are from an ancestor vineyard owned by the Cirillo Family in the renowned Light Pass sub-region. The low yielding ‘Barossa Ancestor Vines’ were planted more than 150 years ago. Only 11.9 hectares of vines over 150 years exist in the Barossa, representing 0.17% of the region’s plantings

* Only 219 cases produced

Reviews
96 Points
Review by: Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
This is beautifully styled with elegance and exquisite charm, showing lemon peel, crunchy apple, oatmeal and dried grass nuances combined with concentrated palate delivering fine focus and drive with a prolonged vibrant finish. At its best: 2025 to 2035
97 Points
Review by: Andrew Caillard MW
Pale/ light straw colour. Intense and beautifully focussed lemon curd, grapefruit, apricot, tonic water aromas with herb garden/ lime notes. Concentrated and pastille-like with fresh lemon curd, grapefruit, lime, nectarine fruits, underlying yeasty complexity, attractive mid-palate creamy notes and fresh mineral acidity. A remarkable multi-dimensional wine with linearity, width and depth. Maturation in seasoned oak puncheons makes all the difference. An emerging classic with underlying torque achieved through a persistent phenolic twist. Screw cap may allow very long-term aging. A beautiful Barossa Semillon from one of Australia’s oldest surviving 19th Century vineyards. Drink Now – 2032
93 Points
Review by: Aaron Brasher, Huon Hooke's The Real Review
Waxy, lemony, nutty and floral aromas: there's a real vitality and brightness to the nose. The palate is tight, all that waxy, lemony gear drives the flavour profile, there's some lovely oak that frames up the wine, but the drive of lemony, crunchy, citrusy fruit comes to the fore. Needs some time to show its straps. 2023–2031
94 Points
Review by: Tyson Stelzer, Halliday Wine Companion 2022
Hand picked from a single vineyard, planted 1850s. Basket pressed, matured 7 months in seasoned French oak puncheons. Tense and tight Barossa floor semillon of neutral nashi pear and lemon definition, built with the structural support of old French oak barrel maturation. Coiled, taut and restrained, it projects impressive elegance while delivering enduring persistence. A cellaring special.
93 Points
Review by: Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot
Made from what are surely some of the oldest vines in Australia and the world, this semillon is still young and tightly wound, only just starting to put on show what it will offer over the next decade. Pale in colour, there is an attractive array of youthful fruits – hay, lanolin and citrus with subtle barrel influences adding nice depth. The palate shows a tight core of citrus well supported by a firm line of acidity which helps the wine on its way to a long and silky finish. Delicious now with scallops, but you definitely get the feeling that this wine will get even better in around five years time once it has fleshed out a bit. Drink: 2024 - 2033

 

Sem
Tasting Notes

Honey, Lemon, Grapefruit and hints of pineapple on the nose. Lively, fresh citrus and stonefruit on the fleshy palate with clean, fresh acidity on a long lingering finish. A seamless wine of fine acid structure and intense varietal flavours driving the length on the palate. 

Winemaking

The grapes were hand picked, hand sorted and gently basket pressed before fermentation in a combination of temperature controlled stainless steel, and seasoned barrels. 

This is followed by seven months’ barrel maturation in our cellars with regular lees stirring to enhance aroma and structure whilst building flavor complexity. 

The Barossa is home to some of the world’s oldest ungrafted Semillon vines and the grapes for this wine are from an ancestor vineyard owned by the Cirillo Family in the renowned Light Pass sub-region. The low yielding ‘Barossa Ancestor Vines’ were planted more than 150 years ago. Only 11.9 hectares of vines over 150 years exist in the Barossa, representing 0.17% of the region’s plantings

* Only 219 cases produced

Reviews
96 Points
Review by: Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
This is beautifully styled with elegance and exquisite charm, showing lemon peel, crunchy apple, oatmeal and dried grass nuances combined with concentrated palate delivering fine focus and drive with a prolonged vibrant finish. At its best: 2025 to 2035

97 Points

Score: 97 Points
Review by: Andrew Caillard MW
Pale/ light straw colour. Intense and beautifully focussed lemon curd, grapefruit, apricot, tonic water aromas with herb garden/ lime notes. Concentrated and pastille-like with fresh lemon curd, grapefruit, lime, nectarine fruits, underlying yeasty complexity, attractive mid-palate creamy notes and fresh mineral acidity. A remarkable multi-dimensional wine with linearity, width and depth. Maturation in seasoned oak puncheons makes all the difference. An emerging classic with underlying torque achieved through a persistent phenolic twist. Screw cap may allow very long-term aging. A beautiful Barossa Semillon from one of Australia’s oldest surviving 19th Century vineyards. Drink Now – 2032

93 Points

Score: 93 Points
Review by: Aaron Brasher, Huon Hooke's The Real Review
Waxy, lemony, nutty and floral aromas: there's a real vitality and brightness to the nose. The palate is tight, all that waxy, lemony gear drives the flavour profile, there's some lovely oak that frames up the wine, but the drive of lemony, crunchy, citrusy fruit comes to the fore. Needs some time to show its straps. 2023–2031

94 Points
Review by: Tyson Stelzer, Halliday Wine Companion 2022
Hand picked from a single vineyard, planted 1850s. Basket pressed, matured 7 months in seasoned French oak puncheons. Tense and tight Barossa floor semillon of neutral nashi pear and lemon definition, built with the structural support of old French oak barrel maturation. Coiled, taut and restrained, it projects impressive elegance while delivering enduring persistence. A cellaring special.

93 Points

Score: 93 Points
Review by: Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot
Made from what are surely some of the oldest vines in Australia and the world, this semillon is still young and tightly wound, only just starting to put on show what it will offer over the next decade. Pale in colour, there is an attractive array of youthful fruits – hay, lanolin and citrus with subtle barrel influences adding nice depth. The palate shows a tight core of citrus well supported by a firm line of acidity which helps the wine on its way to a long and silky finish. Delicious now with scallops, but you definitely get the feeling that this wine will get even better in around five years time once it has fleshed out a bit. Drink: 2024 - 2033

 

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