Reviewing young Hunter Valley Semillon built in the ‘traditional’ style (low alcohol, high acid, usually bottled with plenty of SO2) is typically hard work. Green apples, and teeth-cleaning acidity. But the best wines, typically, are delicious from early on. And this Gundog Estate The Chase Semillon 2021 is very fine.
It’s archetypal Hunter Sem from someone (hi Matt Burton) who knows how to make classic Hunter Semillon. The numbers alone give a nod to the frame – pH 3.09, TA 7.1g/L, 10.5% – and yet it doesn’t seem hard, with excellent green apple fruit intensity the focal point from the get-go. Acidity is notable, all natural, and well framed. It all feels vital, right, long, good, even if the best years are clearly something in the future. Hard to go wrong with this in your cellar.
Gundog Estate The Chase Semillon 2021. Best drinking: sure, I thought it was drinkable now, but really you shouldn’t open this for at least four more years. Then drink for the next twenty or more. 18.5/20, 94/100+. Gundog Estate website. Would I buy it? Cheap for the quality. In other words, it is a buy from me.
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4 Comments
Interesting, your comment about SO2 and semillon (and indeed Riesling IMHO). I’m not referring to this wine as I don’t know it but I feel that SO2 is a bit like what people say about sugar. Once you’ve cut right down or eliminated it (which I couldn’t do with sugar as I have a sweet tooth) you become incredibly sensitive to it in wine. What do others think?
I can understand that Bob. It’s like Brett too – once you go on a Brett crusade, you see it in everything.
Mostly I don’t notice moderate sulphur levels, and at uni when we played the ‘guess the SO2 ppm’ I wasn’t that strong on it. What about you Bob – what do you notice it in?
I also meant to add that I see high SO2 as a blocker – it tends to mute fruit flavours for mine. You too?
Yes, blockage of flavours, a certain dullness and lack of vibrancy/tension. Combined with acid addition kills the wine totally.