Semillon

Sémillon is one of the world’s most versatile white grapes — capable of producing both bone-dry wines of remarkable texture and longevity, and some of the most celebrated sweet wines ever made. In Bordeaux’s Sauternes and Barsac, its thin skin makes it especially susceptible to botrytis cinerea — noble rot — concentrating the grape’s sugars, acidity and flavour into wines of extraordinary richness, complexity and ageing potential. Monbazillac, further east, offers a similarly luscious style at a gentler price point.

In South Africa’s Western Cape, however, Sémillon takes on an entirely different expression: dry, textured and quietly age-worthy, with the waxy richness and subtle savoury character that make mature examples so distinctive. A grape of understated brilliance in both forms.