Light, bright yellow colour; the aromas complex and showing some positive age development but not toasty or mature yet. This wine is showing some positive aged characteristics but remains fresh and very alive and promises to live on for many more years. A superbly stylish, delicate, high-quality semillon.
97 points, The Real Review (March 2016)
Vat 1 can always be relied upon to deliver a pure, focused and linear wine, year-in, year-out; as a young wine, there is just enough flesh for a little pleasure, with lemon sherbet, lime leaf and straw; the structure indicates a long future ahead, and real pleasure will come at least five years down the track. Certainly worth investing both time and money to watch it truly come together.
96 points, Wine Companion (January 2012)
Youthful banana esters with a little grass and hay like character. It’s fine boned, limey and lightly flinty with a long dry finish. Features an attractive roundness of fruit married to even handed acidity – bright and zesty it is, piercing and terse it is not. The smooth operator of this year’s Semillon line up who’s subtle charms may go under-appreciated in a hurried appraisal.
94 points, The Wine Front (September 2011)
Tighter and less phenolic than the basket pressed Johnno's. Finer detail here which suits the transparency of the style more, perhaps. Long-plus and will age gracefully over the next 15 years.
93 points, JamesSuckling.com (October 2011)
The 2011 Vat 1 Semillon presents a citrus nose garlanded with lemon grass and lime leaves that is quite chalky and a little closed. In the mouth it is a classic Vat 1 – bone dry and light-bodied with rasping acidity, great citrus intensity and mineral character. It has a very long, elegant finish though needs time to evolve.
93 points, Wine Advocate (October 2014)
