The Wine Reference🍷 SupportSémillon grape
Sémillon is a white grape known for lemon, honey, wax. Its best-known homes are Bordeaux, Hunter Valley.
Origin and history
From Bordeaux, probably the Sauternes area, first recorded in the 18th century.
Where it grows
Bordeaux (Sauternes, Barsac, Graves, Pessac-Léognan), Australia's Hunter Valley, Barossa and Margaret River, South Africa and Washington State.
Structure
Medium to full body, low to moderate acidity and a waxy, oily texture; dry or, when botrytised, intensely sweet.
Aromas, young and aged
Young: lemon, lime, grass and green apple. With age: honey, toast, lanolin, beeswax and (in sweet wines) apricot and marmalade.
Ageing
Hunter Valley Semillon needs 5–10 years and can go 20+; top Sauternes such as Château d'Yquem can last over a century.
Also known as
Semillon, Groendruif (historic, South Africa), Hunter River Riesling (historic, Australia).
Good to know
Unoaked, low-alcohol Hunter Semillon develops toasty, honeyed notes in bottle that seem like oak but come purely from age.
Wine regions for Sémillon
Sémillon wines to try
Real bottles from The Wine Library.
Château d'Yquem Château d'Yquem
Bordeaux · Sauternes · Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc
Golden and luscious: apricot, honey, saffron and bright acidity from noble rot.
Food: Foie gras, Roquefort, fruit tarts
Château Suduiraut Lions Secs de Suduiraut
Bordeaux · Bordeaux Blanc · Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc
Dry white from a Sauternes estate: citrus, beeswax and fresh texture.
Food: Fish, salads
Château Lynch-Bages Blanc de Lynch-Bages
Bordeaux · Bordeaux Blanc · Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Muscadelle
Rare white from Pauillac: citrus, exotic fruit and toasty oak.
Food: Turbot, chicken
Boekenhoutskloof Semillon
Waxy, textured old-vine Semillon of lemon curd, beeswax and toast, built to gain complexity with age.
Food: Crab cakes with lemon aioli
Similar white grapes
Explore all grapes in the interactive guide
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