Brokenwood Semillon 2011 Hunter Valley Australia

Brokenwood Semillon 2011 is from the cool Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia. It is a straw coloured with green tints - zesty, some would say pungent wine with grassy, lemon crisp aromas and a florality that I had not expected but did like.
On the palate there is an initial slight spritz which teases the tongue, not unpleasant but disguises the forthcoming pleasure. The grassy, zesty lemon and citric peel continue on the palate with a clean freshing, nervy acidity, it is clear cut and fruity, the finish is long with a lemon curd twist. The silky, waxy texture which develops in the mouth further increases the pleasure of this wine - a well structured, finely tuned wine with generous acidic backbone, satisfying finish and the fine boned etheral texture keeps it charming for longer ( on palate and memory). Great with food, but equally yummy without!
Score : 85 and available form Slurp at a cost of £12.50.

The Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest producing wine region, with vines first planted in the 1820’s and is approximately two hours drive north of Sydney and to the northwest of Newcastle. It is based on the catchment of the Hunter Valley River & includes the Upper & Lower Hunter areas.

The Hunter Valley is warm / hot. However, temperature, within broad limits, has nothing to do with quality, but affects only the style. In addition to hot days, the Hunter Valley has relatively warm nights when the physiological processes that ripen fruit can continue. The days are also quite humid, reducing moisture stress and allowing the leaves to keep their pores open longer during hot weather. This allows photosynthesis and growth to continue when, in drier air, it would not. The Lower Hunter Valley around Pokolbin is a little wetter than Broke Fordwich and the Upper Hunter Valley but is closer to the coast and benefits more from cooling sea breezes.

Soils : There are three main soil types in the Hunter Valley. The first is the red clay loam that appears on the hilltops and slopes. Red soils are well-drained and provide a good medium for vines; these are where the best Shiraz is grown. On some slopes you’ll also find chocolate brown podsols which are also good for red wines. You’ll find the third major soil type on the flats along the creek beds where grey sandy loams overlie white or yellow clays. Casuarinas are a good indicator for these soils and this is where whites grow best - mostly Semillon and Chardonnay.  In the Upper Hunter Valley, these soils tend to be a little deeper and grade into black loams. 

From A+ Australia about Hunter Valley Semillon: Is considered to be a world benchmark wine, it is the stellar white variety in the region. Semillon is at its delicate best when picked early to make a wine of ten to 11.5% alcohol and almost invariably has ripe flavours at low sugar concentrations. This is the style of wine that best responds to bottle age, during which it develops outstanding lemon curd and toasty complexity and becomes barely recognisable from its demure beginning. Most companies release their Semillons when only a few months old when they are crisp and lively with a light body and fresh, lemony and grassy fruit. A few keep some wines for bottle-maturation and release after five years or more when they have deepened in colour, become rounder and softer in the mouth and developed the most brilliantly complex flavours of vanilla and buttered toast.