History
For a time Sémillon was a wildly popular white grape variety, which is one reason why so many old Sémillon vines (average age of close to 40 years) continue to exist in Bordeaux and surrounding regions (e.g. Bergerac), representing over 50% of the white wine surface area. In fact, in the early 19th century, Sémillon was believed to be the most widely planted white wine grape in the world. The Sémillon name is thought to originate in southern French dialects, notably Old Provençal (semilhoun/semilhar), derived from the Latin seminare, meaning “to sow.”
California Sémillon Timeline
Charles Wetmore introduced Sémillon cuttings to California from Château d'Yquem in Bordeaux, sharing them with El Mocho's owner Louis Mel.
U.C. Viticulture and Enology professor Frederic Bioletti recommended coastal plantings of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc for blended dry white wines, but considered Sémillon the characteristic or primary Sauternes grape with a true Sauternes aroma. Sémillon became widely planted in coastal areas of California from Santa Cruz to Mendocino.
U.C. Viticulture and Enology professor Harold Olmo selected multiple Sémillon clones from vines at the old El Mocho property for his clonal development program at U.C. Davis.
U.C. Viticulture Professors Winkler and Amerine recommended Sémillon as one of the "better varieties" for dry white wine and as a base for sweet table wine in warmer years.
Despite positive opinion, Sémillon remains a minor variety in California, with Sauvignon Blanc acreage (5,970 ha/14,752 acres) far exceeding plantings of Sémillon.
Sémillon plantings stood at 227 hectares/560 acres (225 hectares/555 acres bearing and 2 hectares/6 acres non-bearing) through year-end 2021, representing 0.12% of total vineyard plantings of all California wine grapes.
Sometimes a great thing is just hiding in plain sight. The truth is that in modern day California the variety simply hasn’t gotten a lot of love. Sure, a few winemakers have channeled the Bordeaux model and splashed some Sémillon into their “SB,” but until recently, few have added in enough to not call the bottle Sauvignon Blanc. With apologies to those dedicated producers who have been making 100 percent Sémillon and Sémillon-dominant blends in wine’s dark shadows, Sémillon, with the exception of Australia, is typically relegated to a supporting role. Over time, a few more producers are giving Sémillon the lead role in their white Bordeaux musical (and giving the wine a proprietary name because they can’t call it by either variety). But in the end, outside Australia 100 percent pure Sémillon wines are quite rare, and those that do exist tend to be dessert bottlings.