2018 Brokenwood ILR Reserve Semillon
2018 Brokenwood ILR Reserve Semillon

2018 Brokenwood ILR Reserve Semillon

97 pts
Brokenwood |Hunter Valley |Semillon
A beautifully matured Hunter Semillon from Brokenwood’s Oakey Creek Vineyard, showing the bright freshness of 2018 now layered with classic toasty complexity.
Price:
$99.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship, only 1 unit left
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Description

WINERY OF THE YEAR! - 2026 Halliday Wine Companion

The ILR Reserve is Brokenwood’s flagship white, only made in standout years and always released with some age under its belt. The fruit comes from Oakey Creek Vineyard, planted back in the early 80s and now regarded as one of the Hunter’s best Semillon sites. For decades Brokenwood bought fruit from this block, before finally taking ownership in 2021 – a fitting step given how closely the vineyard and this wine are tied together.

2018 was a dream year in the Hunter, with an early, stress-free harvest delivering fruit of wonderful balance and ripeness. As with all Brokenwood Semillons, the winemaking was kept simple – hand-picked, stainless steel fermentation, no oak – leaving the vineyard to do the talking. After six years’ bottle age, the wine is just starting to show those classic toasty, honeyed notes while still carrying the bright citrus and fine acidity that will see it age for many more.

The ILR has always been about showing how truly great Hunter Semillon can be, and the 2018 is no exception – a beautifully poised, long-lived white that’s both approachable now and full of potential.

97 points
"This wine is an unmistakable ILR and is one of the season's highlights."
- Toni Paterson (Halliday Wine Companion)

Ryan Montgomery

Ryan Montgomery

James Suckling 94 Points

This shows aromas of lemon curd, dried lemons, citrus tart and steel. It’s medium-bodied with a creamy texture and an intense finish. There’s a chilled energy to this. At its peak now. Drink now. Screw cap.

Huon Hooke

Huon Hooke

The Real Review 96 Points

Light yellow colour with a super-toasty bouquet, gently buttery, with some wet-straw pungency. The wine is mellow and complex, with plenty of toast and straw flavours, overtones of polished wood, background burnt-lime and lemon. The wine is bold and intense in the mouth, very dry and long, with great line and persistence. More buttery toasty as it aired. Excellent middle-aged semillon.

Erin Larkin

Erin Larkin

The Wine Advocate 96 Points

The 2018 ILR Reserve Semillon will be released in October 2024 (so, in three months from now). Aromatically, the wine leads with pressed white flowers, wet chalk, white beach sand and crushed shells. This is a beautiful, tightly wound, almost ethereal iteration of this wine. It is quiet, subtle, restrained, magnificent. These characters now will evolve over time to slowly unravel in wisps of toasty flavor. 11% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

Toni Paterson

Toni Paterson

Halliday Wine Companion 97 Points

This wine is an unmistakable ILR and is one of the season's highlights. Alluring smoky tones and hints of lanolin adorn the ripe, lemony fruit. The sweet-natured palate is generous, flavoursome and powerful with moreish lemon butter tones. The rate of progression in this wine is driven by the warmth of the '18 season. That said, it is no less lovely, and the upside is that it's ready to drink now, so you won't need to wait years to enjoy it.

Ken Gargett

Ken Gargett

Wine Pilot 96 Points

Always one of the superstars of Hunter Valley Semillon, the ILR is never released without at least a good five years ageing under its belt, at which time it is usually just beginning to show the glories that are ahead of it. The vineyard source varies from vintage to vintage, depending on which shines best – so if none measure up, then no ILR. This vintage is from the Oakey Creek vineyard, planted in 1982 and which the team purchased in 2021, although they have been sourcing fruit from it for several decades. This is a cracking ILR, indeed a cracking Hunter Sem, and, while it is drinking impressively now, has two decades of improvement ahead of it. A lemon/green hue. Early days, but already some appealing complexity. There are hints of lemon butter on toast, but surely much more to come. There are notes of figs and stone fruits and limes. Even that whiff of ginger. Immaculate balance, bright acidity, ideal focus and impressive length, this is a wine which has so much more to offer in the coming years. And whilst one can never confirm or deny such matters, it is entirely possible that, as I sit and write up all today’s tasting notes, there is a chilled glass of this very wine next to me. But, as they say, I couldn’t possibly confirm that.

Ray Jordan

Ray Jordan

Wine Pilot 96 Points

A glorious expression of a mature Hunter Valley Semillon is vividly captured in this outstanding example of the style and the variety. Already developing some attractive toasty characters with a little lemon butter richness. It’s always released at six years of bottle age, the crucial contributor to this highly individual Australian style. Lovely lick of lemon rind on the finish completes a beauty.

Tasting Note
At six years of age on release, the colour is just beginning to show development, with yellow tints complementing the green edges. Toast and brioche notes emerge alongside lemon curd and florals, almost heading towards beeswax. The palate is lively with Tahitian lime juice characters balanced by an almost key-lime pie creaminess, supported by superb, fresh acidity. The magic of Hunter Valley Semillon is on full display here, with texture, fruit weight, and great length from a wine that sees no oak. The ILR Reserve Semillon is released only from the best years, and the 2018 is a beauty.

Vinification
Hand-harvested fruit was crushed, chilled, and pressed immediately. Fermentation was carried out with neutral yeasts in stainless steel. No oak and no malolactic fermentation. Bottled in July.

Winemaker Comments
This wine showcases remarkable balance and is a worthy successor to the highly praised 2017 vintage. The 2018 growing season in the Hunter Valley was stress-free. Low rainfall in 2017 resulted in minimal foliage and early ripening. Harvest began January 15th and all Semillon was picked by the end of the month. Some blocks showed higher sugar levels than usual. The 2018 Semillons are superb, comparable to the standout 2014 vintage.

Fruit for the ILR Reserve was sourced from the Oakey Creek Vineyard, first planted in 1982 by the Drayton family and now one of the Hunter Valley’s most awarded Semillon sites. Brokenwood has purchased fruit from Oakey Creek since the early 1990s, and in 2021 purchased the vineyard outright. Its free-draining alluvial soils over clay, with an easterly-facing rise, provide near-perfect conditions for Semillon.

Food Pairing
Asian food, and any seafood, especially freshly shucked oysters.

Drink
Drinking well now but will improve with further bottle age.

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type White
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Semillon
Country Australia
Region Hunter Valley
Australian State NSW
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
Wine Pilot
The Wine Advocate
James Suckling
The Wine Front
Critic Score 97
96
95
94
Alcohol 11%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2018
Closure Screw Cap

Brokenwood

Brokenwood is one of the Hunter Valley’s great stories. What started back in 1970 as a weekend hobby for a couple of Sydney lawyers has grown into one of Australia’s most respected wineries, without ever losing that original sense of fun and adventure. From the beginning they set the standard for Hunter Semillon, a style they still lead the charge on today.

These days Chief Winemaker Stuart Hordern carries the torch, crafting brilliant Hunter classics and also drawing on fruit from some of the country’s best regions. Think plush McLaren Vale Shiraz, elegant Victorian Chardonnay, and powerful Beechworth Cabernet, all made with the same Brokenwood touch.

The Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz has long been one of Australia’s most collectable reds, but the wines across the range share a common thread: purity, balance and a real sense of place. At the same time, the team here has always kept things down-to-earth. They’re serious about sustainability and quality, but never take themselves too seriously.

Brokenwood has grown up, but it still carries the spark of those early days. If you want a producer that combines Hunter Valley history with a modern, generous spirit, you’ve found it.

The Winemaking team at Brokenwood Brokenwood

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