Semillon Sauvignon Blanc: Crisp Margaret River Whites with Citrus and Texture

Margaret River and the Australian Style

Margaret River dominates this collection and deserves to. The maritime climate in Western Australia gives long, even ripening, which keeps the Sauvignon Blanc aromatic without turning it sharp and lets the Semillon build texture.

Producers such as Cullen, Voyager Estate, Fraser Gallop, Xanadu, Cape Mentelle, Hay Shed Hill, Juniper, Credaro, Amelia Park and Capel Vale all make a version, and no two are alike. Some are picked early and bottled fresh, others see time in oak and gain a creamy, nutty depth.

Great Southern, further south and cooler still, gives a leaner and more mineral reading. Adelaide Hills, Hunter Valley, Mudgee and the Riverina each contribute their own, from crisp and light to soft and easy drinking.

The wider Australian white wine range puts them alongside everything else the country does well, and our Sauvignon Blanc collection covers the grape on its own.

The Sweet Side: Sauternes

The same two grapes make one of the world's great dessert wines, and a handful of them sit in this collection.

In Sauternes in Bordeaux, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc are left on the vine until botrytis, the noble rot, shrivels the berries and concentrates the sugar. Add a little Muscadelle and you get something golden, unctuous and capable of ageing for decades.

It could hardly be further from a crisp Margaret River white, which makes it a useful reminder that a grape variety is only half the story. Our dessert wine and sweet wine collections gather the rest, and the French range has the wider Bordeaux picture.

How to Serve Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

Serve the dry styles at 8 to 10 degrees, straight from the fridge but not ice cold. Too cold and the Semillon texture disappears, which is the part that makes the blend interesting.

Most are made to drink young, within two or three years, while the oaked Margaret River examples will hold and improve for five or more. Sauternes belongs at 8 to 10 degrees as well, in a small glass.

Food Pairing

This is one of the great seafood wines. Oysters, prawns, grilled whiting, fish and chips, anything that wants a squeeze of lemon.

The Semillon weight means it also copes with chicken, pork and creamy pasta, where a straight Sauvignon Blanc would feel thin. Goat cheese and fresh salads work particularly well. Sauternes goes the other way, with blue cheese, foie gras and fruit tarts.

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc or Straight Sauvignon Blanc? Your Questions, Answered

What is the difference between Semillon Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc?

Straight Sauvignon Blanc is more aromatic and more sharply acidic, with passionfruit and cut grass leading. Adding Semillon rounds it out, giving the wine more texture in the middle and a longer finish.

Choose the blend if a pure Sauvignon Blanc has ever struck you as too zippy, or if you want a white that can handle richer food.

Is it SBS or SSB?

Both are used, and the order follows the label. A wine with more Sauvignon Blanc is written Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, one with more Semillon the other way around. The style is much the same either way.

Is Semillon Sauvignon Blanc dry or sweet?

The Australian versions are dry, and that is nearly all of this collection. The exceptions are the Sauternes, which are intensely sweet dessert wines made from the same two grapes under quite different conditions.

Why is Margaret River so good at it?

The climate is maritime and mild, with a long ripening season and cooling ocean air. Sauvignon Blanc keeps its perfume instead of turning green or blowsy, and Semillon ripens slowly enough to develop texture rather than just sugar.

How long does it keep?

Unoaked styles are at their most enjoyable in the first two or three years. Barrel fermented Margaret River examples can go five to ten and develop a nutty, honeyed character as the Semillon comes forward.

Why Buy Semillon Sauvignon Blanc at YourWines?

This range covers the style from every angle. Everyday drinking bottles sit alongside serious barrel fermented Margaret River, and the Sauternes at the far end show what the same two grapes do under noble rot.

Every wine is chosen by our team, most of it available by the dozen, and shipping is free Australia wide with a surcharge for WA, TAS and remote areas.

Explore the wider white wine range, the curated mixed white cases, or our Blend and Cuvée collection for every wine built from more than one grape.