A gob-smackingly good Semillon
2005 Peter Lehmann Semillon, Barossa Valley, South Australia (£6.99 or 3 for £15, until 16 August, Oddbins).
The Barossa Valley might not be the first port of call for dry, aged semillon on the planet – Bordeaux and Australia's Hunter Valley would muscle into view before you'd posed the question – but by golly this wine is a beauty.
The very first time that I visited Peter Lehmann's operation in Australia, chief wine maker Andrew Wigan showed me the full range of wines (reds are the forte here), but these were preceded by a neat vertical lift off of semillons. He wanted to prove that Barossa Sem is a valid style of white wine and that it really over-delivered.
I was gob-smacked and made very detailed notes about the layers of honeysuckle and grapefruit flavours on the nose and silky, lime curd enveloping my palate. With its lack of oak and keen persistence, this was a wine that rivaled smart Chablis in its style and confidence.
Nothing has changed. This wine is only 11.5% alcohol, it comes from a legendary producer, it goes with everything you can think of and it only costs a fiver!
I can hear Peter Lehmann himself shouting – 'un-bloody-believable' right now!
• Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year.