Is a wine new if it’s seven years old?
Is white wine any good if it’s seven years old?
Our customers from the beginning might recall that on our first day of being open in 2001, we were selling an 8-year-old Sémillon. It was pretty amazing. I learned the beauty of aged Sémillon in about 1990. I’ve had 20+ year olds that were lovely.
We have been making Sémillon for quite a few years and have always barrel fermented and aged it. After bottling, they went into a cool, dark room for at least two years. We call it Oyster White because the delicate, white-fleshed sea creatures like crab, halibut, and rockfish are the target food.
When is Sémillon at its best? This question is unanswerable because we all have different preferences. Recently, at a library tasting, some folks thought 12 years old was better than 7 years old. I preferred the 7 to the 12. All the wines from 5 to 12 would please me at the table.
I think 7 is a great age for many wines. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sémillon, Chenin Blanc, and many others develop marvelous secondary characteristics with time in the bottle.
Selling 7-year-old wines is not the way to make a big profit! Get the wine into a bottle in 6 months and convince people “fresh” is what they want. That’s how you make money! I guess I’m just trying to make really nice wines.
Rock fish, dredged in corn flour and cooked in butter.
Poulet à l’Estragon served on a bed of rice.
Dungeness crab with some butter infused with tarragon, rare in Zillah (the crab, not the butter and tarragon).
Fried chicken dredged in corn flour and cooked in butter with a bit of tarragon (Barbara is gluten-intolerant).
If the idea that butter, tarragon, and Oyster White play well together is occurring to you, I’ve succeeded.
How does it compare to past vintages?
My limited number of tasters find it hard to tell 2016 from 2017. Most of us find it has more of the sweet aroma Sémillon develops after about five years. The French say it has an aroma found in pure candy, the melted sugar. There is no residual sugar in this wine.
As always, satisfaction guaranteed. I’ll trade you a bottle for a crab!
