Sauvignon Blanc Semillon/ Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Aged Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon & Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
UMAMU Estate holds Semillon Sauvignon Blanc back in museum stock and releases it with age, with library vintages going back to 2005.
Some of the vintage dates below will surprise you. The blend began in Bordeaux, where Semillon-led whites have always been made to age, and in Australia its home is Margaret River – yet most Australian SBS is made to be drunk within a year or two of vintage. We make ours the Bordeaux way, then hold bottles back so you can drink the blend at ten and twenty years old.
Our Sauvignon Blanc was planted in 1987 and our Semillon in 1997, with the Sauvignon Blanc parcel at 130 metres above sea level – among the highest plantings in Margaret River. 2005 was our first vintage, and Charmaine, our principal, has made every vintage since.
SSB or SBS wine?
The two acronyms are often used interchangeably, but they describe different blends. The grape named first is the one that makes up most of the wine. SSB (Semillon Sauvignon Blanc) is Semillon-dominant. SBS (Sauvignon Blanc Semillon) is Sauvignon Blanc-dominant.
Because the terms get swapped so often across the industry, it is worth checking the blend percentages when you buy. Our 2005 is 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc, which makes it an SSB. Our 2016 and 2007 are both Sauvignon Blanc-led, which makes them SBS – the 2007 is 67% Sauvignon Blanc.
For the full explanation, read our guide to the difference between SBS and SSB.
What age does to Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Young Semillon Sauvignon Blanc is about freshness – citrus, herbs, cut grass. Given a decade or two in bottle, the blend becomes golden, waxy, toasty and honeyed, and holds its acidity through the change. Neither version is better. They suit different occasions, and the aged one is much harder to find.
Our 2005 shows what that looks like. At twenty years old it won a Silver Medal with 90 points at the 2025 Endeavour Group Margaret River Wine Show, judged against current releases. In September 2026, at twenty-one, Campbell Mattinson scored it 93 points. Our stated window runs to 2031.
We have written at length on how the blend develops, which grape does the ageing, and how to tell whether a bottle will reward cellaring: can Australian Sauvignon Blanc Semillon age?
Our aged Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
There are three ways to drink aged Semillon Sauvignon Blanc from our library right now.
2005 Estate Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Our first vintage, and the oldest wine on this page. 65% Semillon, 35% Sauvignon Blanc, a portion fermented in French oak, under screwcap. Silver Medal at twenty, 93 points from Campbell Mattinson at twenty-one, and it will hold to 2031. Golden at twenty-one years with no browning, and a snow pea note still lingering.
2016 Estate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
Ten years in bottle, roughly halfway between a current release and the 2005. The creamy barrel toastiness is coming through, soft and round where a current release is sharp, and the aromatics have moved to honeydew melon. The place to start if you want to know how the blend changes over its first decade.
Vertical three-pack: 2005, 2007 and 2016
Three vintages spanning eleven years, to open side by side. Tasting one aged bottle tells you very little; tasting three together shows you the shape of the curve. This is the only way to buy the 2007 – at nineteen years it is 67% Sauvignon Blanc, still alive, with more phenolics than anything else in the line-up.
Awards and recognition
UMAMU Estate is a 5-Star Winery in the Halliday Wine Companion, and our wines have been served in Qantas International First and Business Class.
Our Sauvignon Blanc Semillon and Semillon Sauvignon Blanc wines have been recognised with:
- 93 points, Campbell Mattinson, 2026 — SSB 2005
- Silver Medal, 90 points, 2025 Endeavour Group Margaret River Wine Show — SSB 2005
- Gold Medal, Australian Small Winemakers Show 2023 — SSB 2005 and SBS 2010
- Gold Medal, Wine Showcase 2023 — SBS 2019
- Double Gold, Sydney International Wine Competition — SBS 2010
- 90 points, James Halliday — SBS 2019
- 91 points, Ken Gargett, The Wine Pilot — SBS 2019
- 4.5 stars, Winestate Magazine Special Annual Edition 2022 — SBS 2019
On the 2019, Ken Gargett noted that "the extra time here has allowed the wine to soften and come together" — the same thing we are doing, deliberately, across every vintage in our library.
We taste these wines alongside each other periodically with Lindsay Corby, who lectured at La Trobe University and is now at Cosmo Wines.
What to eat with Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc works well with Asian food that brings heat and richness – spicy fried rice, satay, curry laksa, green Thai curry. Aged bottles handle richer, more savoury dishes than young ones, so save the 2005 for the laksa and the satay.
Questions about our aged Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Which vintage should I start with?
Start with the vertical three-pack if you want to taste how the blend changes over time. For a single bottle, choose the 2016 to see the blend at ten years, or the 2005 to see it at twenty-one.
Is the 2016 ready to drink now, or should I cellar it?
It is drinking now. At ten years the barrel toastiness has arrived and the wine has softened and rounded out. It will also keep.
Can I buy the 2007 on its own?
No. The 2007 is only available in the vertical three-pack, alongside the 2005 and the 2016.
How have these wines been stored?
In our own cellar at the estate, from bottling to despatch. Museum stock is never released into the trade and returned, so provenance is ours from start to finish.
How are the wines shipped?
Australia-wide. Standard delivery is $10 per carton within WA, $25 to VIC, SA, NSW and QLD, and $50 to TAS and NT. Ordering from overseas? Email us at umamu@umamuestate.com and we will arrange an international shipping quote.
To learn more about our story, our slow-release philosophy and our winemaking, visit our About Us page, or read how we celebrated our 20-year anniversary by re-releasing the SSB 2005.
