2024 Pooles Rock Premiere Semillon, Hunter Valley

Textbook young semillon with excellent purity, softness and intensity. The palate displays impressive generosity and harmony, achieved through the expert blending of select parcels of hand-picked, whole-bunch-pressed fruit from across the Hunter Valley. High-toned, ripe lemon characters are accented by greengages and citrus blossom. Incredibly fresh and flavoursome. Exceptional value.

97 points Special Value Toni Paterson MW winecompanion.com.au

The 2024 Pooles Rock Premiere Semillon from the Hunter Valley is a stunning example of just how much precision, longevity and character can be delivered at an exceptional price point. This is classic Hunter Semillon through and through — bone dry, tightly wound and built to evolve — yet it’s immediately approachable, clean and thrillingly fresh in its youth.

Sourced from premium Hunter Valley vineyards, the fruit is harvested early in the season to preserve natural acidity and delicate aromatics. The winemaking is deliberately minimalist, as is traditional for the region. Cool fermentation in stainless steel, no oak, and no malolactic conversion ensures the wine remains bright, linear and pure. What makes it so compelling is the balance it achieves between intensity and restraint — a hallmark of great Semillon.

In the glass, the 2024 vintage offers aromas of lemongrass, lime zest, green apple and chalk, with subtle hints of white florals and crushed stone. The palate is laser-focused and dry, with citrus fruit at its core, crisp acidity, and a gently textured mouthfeel that suggests future complexity. There’s a steely precision here that will soften and deepen with time in bottle, offering nutty, toasty secondary notes in five to ten years for those who cellar it.

This is a wine that punches well above its weight in both quality and potential. Enjoy it now with freshly shucked oysters, grilled prawns, or a simple roast chicken with lemon and thyme. Or tuck a few bottles away — the rewards in five years will be remarkable.