I’m a big fan of the Tyrrell’s Semillon portfolio, and enjoy the Stevens, Vat 18 and Vat 1 examples with satisfying regularity. I’ve also enjoyed the Lost Block Semillon in the past, not least for its more affordable price. Picked up a bottle of the 2007 at the local bottlo and cracked it tonight to have with dinner.
A confident nose of powdery citrus, flinty minerals and some underlying sulfur. It’s a bit one-dimensional but it’s also attractively firm and characterful. The entry is lively thanks to some good quality acidity that drives flavour right on to the middle palate. Medium bodied, this wine shows more lively citrus and floral notes on the palate. The acidity is worth pondering for a moment, as to my taste it is cleverly balanced to create an immediately drinkable wine. There’s none of the austerity here that one might encounter in a young “cellaring style” of Semillon. No, this wine is all about enjoyment right now, and the acidity is soft enough to play along. The wine slips along to a slightly hollow after palate, then to a finish that lingers delicately, with some slight sweetness showing.
Clever winemaking here. It’s a wine that knows what it’s for — consumption in its youth, with food, well chilled. Great summer quaffing wine.
Price: $A14
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: January 2008