Ashbrook Estate News Issue 5 - Winter 2019

And after Chenin Blanc comes…

In the Australian wine industry’s cycle of trendiness Chenin Blanc is currently enjoying some press time. And if you’ve followed Margaret River wines for long enough, you’ll know that historically alongside Chenin comes Semillon! This fantastic third party endorsement from wine industry veteran Ray Jordan, confirms that our persistence with these classical winegrape varieties is well justified.

Although finicky in the vineyard and slippery-slimy in the winery, the hard work is worth the effort. Vibrant and flavoursome when young, Semillon complements an array of seafood, chicken and vegetarian dishes. After five or six years cellaring the wines become richer, more complex and slightly honeyed and nutty and can accompany dishes you might normally pair a Chardonnay with. The story of each vintage is reflected in the flavour profile of this variety, which makes for exciting vertical tastings. For several years now, Ashbrook has been purposefully reserving a limited quantity of each vintage’s Semillon to showcase the versatility