2019 Brokenwood ILR Reserve Semillon

98 pts Trophy!
From 100-year-old Hunter vines, released at seven years of age and still decades from its peak - the ILR Reserve is Brokenwood's finest white and one of Australia's greatest Semillons.

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Description

ILR stands for Iain Leslie Riggs - Brokenwood's long-serving winemaker and one of the Hunter Valley's most important figures. The wine named after him is only made in the best years, always from a single vineyard, and always held back until it's ready to talk.

The 2019 comes from the Trevena Vineyard on Hermitage Road, where vines planted in 1926 are still producing fruit of remarkable concentration. It was a hot, dry year - only three days under 30 degrees in January - which gave the wine a generosity and depth that sets it apart from cooler vintages. No oak, no malolactic, just stainless steel and time.

Now at seven years of age, it's hitting a beautiful stride. Toast, lemon curd and brioche are starting to emerge, but there's still plenty of that lively lime juice and fine, bright acidity underneath - the backbone that will carry this wine for another two decades without breaking a sweat. Expansive, layered and unmistakably Hunter.

This is one of the great Australian white wines. Drink a bottle now to see where it's at. Protect the rest.

98 points
"This iconic wine delivers power, length and intensity, with a weighty, expansive palate and remarkable complexity that set it apart."
- Toni Paterson (Halliday Wine Companion)

98 points
"Everything is impeccably balanced and we can expect this wine to provide pleasure for at least another twenty years. Stunning."
- Ken Gargett (Wine Pilot)

97 points
"Powerful yet supple; age has softened edges without losing intensity."
- Stuart Knox (The Real Review)

97 points
"This is the whole package and in a beautifully expressive time of its life, albeit still with a long future ahead."
- Shanteh Wale (Wine Pilot)

McGuigan Family Trophy for Best Two-Year-Old and Older Semillon - 2026 Hunter Valley Wine Show

Len Evans Trophy for Best Single Vineyard White Wine - 2026 Hunter Valley Wine Show

Petrie-Drinan Trophy for Best White Wine of the Show - 2026 Hunter Valley Wine Show

Drayton Family Trophy for Best Semillon - 2026 Hunter Valley Wine Show

Best in Show (97 Points) - 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards

Trophy for Best Semillon/​Gold Medal (95 Points) - 2026 Royal Queensland Wine Awards

Trophy for Best Semillon/​Gold Medal (95 Points) - 2025 Royal Queensland Wine Awards

Trophy for Best Semillon/​Gold Medal - 2025 Royal Hobart Wine Show

Platinum Medal (97 Points) - 2025 Decanter World of Wine Awards

Gold Medal (95 Points) - 2026 National Wine Show of Australia

Gold Medal (95 Points) - 2025 NSW Wine Awards

Gold Medal - 2026 Winewise Championship

Gold Medal - 2025 Hunter Valley Wine Show

98 points - "This iconic wine delivers power, length and intensity, with a weighty, expansive palate and remarkable complexity that set it apart. The aroma is so seamless that it is difficult to dissect, but a closer look reveals alluring hints of charred citrus, lemon butter, meringue and flint. The palate is deeply satisfying and, though it has gained extra dimensions, softness and layers with age, it retains an inherent freshness and youthful beauty." - Toni Paterson (Halliday Wine Companion)

98 points - "Named after their former long term winemaker and Hunter legend, Iain Riggs, this is Brokenwood’s prestige Semillon and, indeed, always one of the very best from the region. The team pick the best fruit from whichever vineyard provides it and the wine always has an extended period in the cellar before release. This vintage, a very good one, that vineyard was the Trevena Vineyard on Hermitage Road, originally planted in 1926. Shining lemon/lime, this is early days for this very fine wine, but it is unquestionably a thrilling ILR and a great Hunter Semillon. The nose gives us notes of lemons on toast, florals, dry herbs, citrus, limes and a flick of peach kernels. There is great structure here and the wine is already exhibiting complexity. Wonderfully supple in texture with immense length, a line of fine acidity runs the full journey. Everything is impeccably balanced and we can expect this wine to provide pleasure for at least another twenty years. Stunning." - Ken Gargett (Wine Pilot)

97 points - "Light straw yellow hue. Fragrant lemon curd, honey toast and hints of ripe mango. Powerful yet supple; age has softened edges without losing intensity. Lime curd, tropical hints and buttery toast define a classic mature semillon, finishing dry and fresh." - Stuart Knox (The Real Review)

97 points - "Fruit is from the Trevena Vineyard with vines planted in 1926. You have to taste this wine to believe its youthful character. It has retained all its collagen, plump and trim in all the right places. Zested lemons, calamansi lime and honeycakes. You taste it and it’s ridiculously expansive with flavour. Candlenut, cashew cream, pineapple core and hemp seed. Perfectly etched acidity continues to surge fruit and raw nut flavours forward. This is the whole package and in a beautifully expressive time of its life, albeit still with a long future ahead. This is what The Hunter can do in warm years and it’s worth celebrating. Drink now with sliced raw snapper, cashew cream and sorrel oil. Or in turn cellar for another 8-10 years." - Shanteh Wale (Wine Pilot)

96 points - "Let’s go back to the source. The Trevena Vineyard on Hermitage Road was planted in 1926. The 2019 vintage was a warm, dry year — in January, when this wine was picked, there were only three days under 30 degrees. So, it has some generosity, while retaining the freshness and vibrancy of the low alcohol and precise acidity that make it such a compelling wine. Lemony, zesty characters are only just beginning to show the faintest hint of development, and there’s still plenty of time to go. A thoroughly beautiful example of Hunter Semillon that captures everything you want in this sometimes underrated variety." - Ray Jordan (Wine Pilot)

95 points - "From the Trevena Vineyard on Hermitage Road, planted 1926. Iain Leslie Riggs. Silly spelling of Ian, yet still we love him. Onya Riggsy, you legend.

Lime, lemon curd, choux pasty, green tea, honey and chamomile. It’s a juicy wine, lots of limey flavour, a hay-like savoury edge, a zesty tang to acidity, something of a soapy character in the mix, not a bad thing, more a regional thing, lime zest and zip on a finish of excellent length. A lot of Semillon here. Perhaps not classic, but very good all the same. Best consumed over the next few years I’d say." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

At six years of age on release, the colour is just starting to show some development, with yellow tints complementing the green edges. Toast and brioche notes are present, along with key-lime pie and floral notes beginning to reveal themselves, almost heading to beeswax. Lively Tahitian lime juice characters on the palate complement the superb, fresh acidity. The magic of Hunter Valley semillon on display 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 2019 is one of our finest.

Wine Profile

Winemaker Comments
This wine showcases remarkable balance and is a notable successor to the highly praised 2018 vintage, serving as an exceptional example of Semillon. The 2019 vintage was the third dry year in a row for Hunter Valley winemakers. A dry winter, followed by limited spring and early summer rainfall, left the vines well prepared heading into ripening. Rising temperatures in late December paved the way for a hot New Year, with Brokenwood only seeing 3 days under 30°C in January. This ensured full flavour ripeness and concentration in the berries. This parcel was picked on the 30th January. The fruit for this year’s ILR Reserve is sourced from the Trevena Vineyard on Hermitage Road, an important Heritage Vineyard, with vines having been planted in 1926.

Vinification
Harvested all by hand. The fruit was crushed, chilled and pressed immediately. Neutral yeasts were used for the fermentation, bottled in July. No oak and no malolactic ferment, only stainless steel.

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

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

Wine Specs
Acid g/L: 6.9
pH: 3.04
Residual Sugar g/L: 1.62
Alcohol %: 11.5

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
The Wine Front
Wine Pilot
The Real Review
Critic Score 98
Alcohol 11.5%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2019
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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