Brokenwood, ILR Semillon Reserve, Hunter Valley 2015 - 75cl
Six years in bottle before it ever reaches a shelf, and the ILR still tastes like it is only getting started. This is Brokenwood's flagship Hunter Valley Semillon, held back at the winery until secondary complexity arrives, then released as a snapshot of what patience does to a great white wine.
The Hunter Valley sits north of Sydney, a warm, humid pocket that has no business growing one of the world's most age-worthy whites. Semillon here is picked early, fermented cool in tank, bottled young at around 11% alcohol and left to transform. Brokenwood have made their reserve version since the 1980s, naming it for former winemaker Iain Riggs. Young Hunter Semillon is taut and almost neutral; the 2015, a decade on, has done what only this style does.
The colour has deepened to green-gold. The nose carries toasted brioche, leatherwood honey and warm coconut, the waxy, lanolin character that marks aged Semillon. There is a flamed lime twist cutting through it all. The palate is silky, almost nectar-like in texture, yet the natural acidity runs straight down the middle and keeps everything bright. It finishes long, nutty and lightly citrus-pithy, drinking beautifully now with another decade ahead of it for anyone who wants to wait.
How to Serve
Chill to 10-12°C rather than fridge-cold, which would mute the honeyed, toasty notes that make aged Semillon worth cellaring. A standard white wine glass is fine; give it ten minutes in the glass to stretch out.
Where to Drink It
Bentley's in Mayfair, oysters and aged Semillon at the bar. Noble Rot in Soho, where old whites get proper billing. J Sheekey for the fish.
Food Pairings
I keep coming back to it with grilled prawns and a squeeze of lemon. Salt-and-pepper squid works too, and it holds up against a Thai green fish curry better than you would expect from 11% alcohol.
