Torbreck Wines > The Wines > Woodcutter's Semillon

2008	Bright yellow-gold. Pear skin and melon aromas, complicated by pungent herbs, lemon zest and almond. Dry but fl eshy, with sweet orchard and pit fruit fl avors and good back-end cut. Rounder and deeper than most Hunter Valley semillons, with fi nishing notes of lemon custard and mint.
2007	Bright yellow-gold. Dried pear and apricot pit on the nose, with subtle beeswax and floral notes. Dry and focused, offering chewy orchard fruit and melon rind flavors, and picking up anise and herbs on the back. Finishes clean and refreshingly bitter, with repeating dried fruit nuances. I like this uncompromising style a lot but I wonder how broad an audience exists for wines like this.
2006	Pale gold. Fresh pear, peach and melon on the nose, with intriguing sage, anise and mint adding complexity. Medium-bodied and silky, with ripe quince, honeydew and yellow plum flavors brightened by zesty citrus pith and quinine. There's a fruit/mineral tension here that's reminiscent of top-notch Chablis, not to mention a similar texture. Bright, nervy and focused on the long, pure finish. This carries 14% alcohol like it was 11%: I was shocked to see that number on the label.
2003	A portion of these vines date back to the late 1860s. Medium gold. Chamomile, acacia honey, quince, melon rind, pine nut and sweet basil aromas, gently accented by oak. Plump, fleshy and chewy, with round but nicely focused flavors of baked apple, poached pear, blood orange, licorice, floral honey and bitter quinine.Subtle, drawn-out flavors of Thai basil and honeyed pear close the deal. Does anybody else also find such a singular, out-of-step wine so compelling? I sure hope so.

Woodcutter's Semillon - Steven Tanzer (IWC)