Clairault Estate Semillon 2004
Blend
100% Semillon
Tasting Notes
Deep straw in colour. The aroma is a lovely vibrant lemon character combined with hints of saltbush, bay and fresh rain on dry grass. The aromas are subtle, complex and intriguing. The flavours of lemon and herb follow through on the palate. Smooth, clean and crisp, this wine has excellent length, the flavours just keep rolling down the palate and seem to build long after the wine has left the mouth.
Will Shields’ Winemaking Notes
Very low yields from the Semillon at Clairault give this wine great purity of flavour. Picked while the fruit displayed its classical grass and straw characters and before too many tropical flavours could develop. Fermentation was in new and one year old French oak barriques using indigenous or natural yeast. The wine was removed from barrel very early (two months) before too much oak and yeast characters were imparted on the wine. Semillon has good ageing potential and this wine will drink well to, conservatively, 2009.
