2017 Silkman Semillon Hunter Valley Australia 750 ml

Chablis, Sancerre, Silkman Semillon

One sip of the 2017 Silkman Semillon, and you’re there: in the idyllic Hunter Valley, Australia, sipping the clean, refreshing, lemony white wine as you look over the vines toward the water. It’s a scene that could eclipse almost any wine. 

Almost any. But not the 94-point 2017 Silkman Semillon, a heady, fragrant, crisp white wine that shows lemon curd, dried citrus, and pear on the palate, with hints of chamomile tea, braised fennel, chalk, and lanolin, all with mineral cut and precision on the finish. This is the Southern Hemisphere’s 94-point answer to super-clean, focused, and refreshing whites like Chablis and Sancerre.

The Wine Access members who claimed our last allocation of Silkman have been waiting for its return, and this is the perfect choice for fans of crisp, mineral whites—especially those who know that 94-point scores from the world’s top critics are tough to come by. Especially for wines that go for under $25.

“Occasionally a star is born and you get to watch; Silkman is one such,” were peerless Australian wine critic James Halliday’s exact words about Shaun and Liz Silkman, who have rocketed to the top of the Aussie winemaking heap in just five vintages. Halliday boosted them to prominence by naming them one of his Top 10 new wineries after just their third vintage, and has already named them one of his five-star producers, largely on the strength of this Semillon, their specialty. 

The relationship between Semillon and Hunter Valley is symbiotic: The region’s warm and humid climate, sandy soils, and cloud-suppressed sunlight hours are perfect for the grape. The variety’s ability to develop intense flavors with low alcohol, and high natural acidity are perfectly suited to the Valley.

Shaun and Liz are both Hunter Valley natives, with significant experience in the region. They spend their days at Shaun’s father’s First Creek Wines: Liz as the estate’s winemaker (for which she earned Hunter Valley “Winemaker of the Year” honors in 2011) and Shaun as production manager. The duo launched Silkman in 2013, focusing on the distinct old-vine sites around the Hunter Valley. 

The Silkmans have mastered the lemony, herbal, and minerally white variety that Hunter Valley has embraced and elevated, and their 2017 Semillon shows the wonders that can be done with the region’s alchemic terroir-and-grape combination. This wine is fantastic now, and it’s built to last—buy by the case and watch as it grows up.