California

Sémillon

Study Guides > Varieties > Sémillon

Introduction

Signature Styles & Characteristics

Although any grape can be interpreted in innovative and at times, outlier styles, the following chart/graphic represents the preponderance of what you will find California’s winemakers producing.

  • Dryness/Residual Sugar

    Still: 100 percent on a scale from Dry to Sweet of Dryness/Residual Sugar. Dessert: 100 percent on the same scale.

  • Acid (potential)

    Still: 100 percent on a scale from Low to High of Acid (potential). Dessert: 100 percent on the same scale.

  • Alcohol (potential)

    Still: 75 percent on a scale from Low to High of Alcohol (potential). Dessert: 75 percent on the same scale.

  • Body (weight on palate)

    Still: 75 percent on a scale from Light to Full of Body (weight on palate). Dessert: 75 percent on the same scale.

  • Texture

    Still: 100 percent on a scale from Tart and Lean to Round and Smooth of Texture. Dessert: 100 percent on the same scale.

Aromas/Flavors

  • Np Fruit 3293668 000000

    Fruit

    Lemon/Meyer lemon, lime, tangelo, citrus zest, apple, pear, fig, green papaya, peach, nectarine, mango, marmalade, quince
  • Floral

    Vegetable

    Hay, chervil, lemon basil, green olive, verbena, lemongrass
  • Floral

    Floral

    Chamomile, citrus blossom, honeysuckle, elderflower
  • Icon Earth

    Earth

    Flint, mineral, stone, salinity
  • Icon Wood

    Wood

    Oak, vanilla, butter, pie crust, caramel, hazelnut, praline, chestnut (all these descriptors are primarily for sweet styles)
  • Icon Other

    Other

    Botrytis (ginger, honey, saffron), lanolin, beeswax or candle wax, butterscotch, clafouti

Tannin

N/A. Wines, however, can be slightly phenolic due to intentional skin contact and small wood (barrique) aging

Ageability

2-10 years, pedigree-dependent; the best can live even longer; the finest sweet dessert styles can last for more than a decade, as can bone-dry examples from Australia’s Hunter Valley