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The Story of Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (SSB)

Perhaps no wine is as quintessentially West Australian as Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (SSB). This blend is described by James Halliday in his 2009 Wine Companion as “Classic Margaret River style”. Many vineyards in Margaret River and also in Denmark in the Great Southern produce an SSB or SBS, the name depending on the proportions of each variety in the blend.  What is the reason for the popularity of this blend in Australia? It appears that the USA, Europe and the UK is significantly less familiar with SSB.

Semillon is a golden grape variety that originates from south west France where it is traditionally blended with Sauvignon Blanc to make the famous dessert wines from Sauternes.  Semillon is thick skinned and tightly bunched and the sweetness of the dessert wines is derived from late harvesting of botrytis-withered grapes (“Noble Rot”). 

Semillon seems to have arrived in Australia in the early 1800’s where it grew vigorously, was disease free and became widespread in the Hunter Valley, giving rise to full bodied dry whites previously usually mistakenly identified as Hunter Riesling. McGuigan Wines 2005 Vineyard Select Semillon - Hunter Valley is an award winning example of this style of wine from a family business dating back to the late 1800’s. Semillon is still relatively widely grown in Australia although it was decisively overtaken by Chardonnay in the late 1980’s.

In Australia’s cooler sites such as Tasmania and the south of Western Australia Semillon often demonstrates a recognisable grassy flavour as in the lightly oaked 2007 Vasse Felix Semillon which has flavours of lime and freshly cut grass.

Sauvignon Blanc is a green skinned grape variety indigenous to the Bordeaux region of France, taking its name from the French word sauvage for “wild” and blanc for “white.” It is widely cultivated in France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, California and South America. It ripens early and flourishes in cooler climate areas in New Zealand (Marlborough, Central Otago) and Australia (south of Western Australia, Tasmania, Adelaide Hills).  In New Zealand the flavour is more grassy in heavier soils that ripen later compared with vines planted in stonier soils which ripen earlier and give more tropical flavours.  The Sauvignon Blancs of Denmark in the Great Southern of Western Australia tend to sit between the green SB’s and the perfumed tropical fruits of Margaret River.

The popularity of SSB in Western Australia is evident in the statistics.  One of the largest Margaret River wine outlets lists the statistics for the number of Semillon (S), Sauvignon Blanc (SB), Sauvignon Blanc Semillon (SBS) and Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (SSB) wines they offer for sale in the proportion of S 15%, SB 24%, SBS 3% and SSB 57%. SSB is a clear winner! 

In the eyes of a number of wine judges, an example of a perfectly balanced SSB is that produced by Chalice Bridge, whose 2007 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc is described as  “melon, pineapple and citrus combine to produce a full taste sensation. The middle palate is soft and round, with just the right amount of acid to result in a clean refreshing finish.”

A visitor from the USA recently commented that Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends of Western Australia are fresh, lively and perfect for summertime drinking.  Depending on the ratio of the grape varieties the combination can yield a grassy herbaceous wine or one that is a bit rounder with passionfruit notes.  She bemoaned that this blend is relatively unknown and hard to find in the USA.

Singlefile Estate’s vibrant fresh fruit driven 2008 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc is a deliciously enticing blend of 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. It is a clear pale lemon yellow colour and has a lovely aroma of guava, green beans and herbal notes. The palate has a refreshing acidity and a zesty, mineral texture. Click here to hear directly from the wine maker in the podcast on the Singlefile Estate's 2008 SSB. 

The SSB blend clearly works well. Seemingly the cool climate of the south of Western Australia matched with our outdoor lifestyle and long summer days bring together both the environment and the opportunity to excel in producing and enjoying this new classic blend of two old grape varieties. It appears that the combination surpasses the characteristics of the individual components and somehow achieves a blend of comfortable yet lively companionship.

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