De Iuliis Semillon 2023
On a trip to the Hunter a while ago I visited the terrific De Iuliis Wines (pronounced de yooly-iss). Joss De Iuliis migrated as a child from Italy in 1960 and built a successful engineering business in the Hunter, which he sold in 2003. But the winemaking traditions and vineyards his family had owned for generations in the Abruzzi region of central Italy were still on his mind. In 1988 Joss and wife Anna bought a property in the Lovedale Road region, in the heart of Pokolbin. About 40 acres of vines were planted in 1990, with most of the fruit being sold to Tyrrell’s.
Joss and Anna’s son Michael, completed postgraduate studies in oenology at Roseworthy Campus, Adelaide University in 1999. He went on to be a Len Evans Tutorial Scholar (2004) as well as a finalist in the Young Winemaker of the Year Awards (The Wine Society, 2005). He was also one of 8 Nominees for the 2013 Gourmet Traveller Winemaker of the Year. As James Halliday said of Mike “He has lifted the quality of the wines into the highest echelon.”
The family built a state-of-the-art winery in 2001 and continued to plant new vineyards and acquire established ones. These days the family has about 80 acres of their own vineyards and source additional fruit from a handful of carefully selected growers. They handle about 150 tonnes of grapes, making them a small to medium sized winery by Hunter standards. By comparison, Tyrrell's does close to 3,000 tonnes and Margan does between 600-700 tonnes.
De Iuliis is considered one of the Hunter’s top producers, with James Halliday’s Australian Companion rating the winery 5 stars every year since 2010. Mike was awarded 2015 Hunter Valley Winemaker of the Year and 2016 Hunter Valley Cellar Door of the Year.
The De Iuliis Semillon 2023 is light, fresh and zesty, with lime and lemony flavours. You'll find a juicy mid-palate and a hint of beeswax. A great drink now wine, but I'll keep one or two for just a few more years.
Year in year out, this is one of the Hunter’s best value semillons.
“Pale lime green in appearance with a bouquet of intense lemon and lime characters. This wine in it’s youth displays fresh Meyer lemon characters, a light palate, and crisp line of refreshing acidity.”
Winemaker’s notes.
“The quality of this super-expressive lemon, apple and lanolin fruit had its life to live, and transformed itself from chrysalis to resplendent butterfly. Date: Nov 2023; Alcohol: 11%; Drink by: 2043.”
95 Points & Top 100 Wines for 2023; James Halliday Wine Companion.
| SKU | 2DISEM23 |
| Brand | De Iuliis |
| Shipping Weight | 1.5000kg |
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