98 POINTS
Toni Paterson MW - Halliday Wine Companion
This iconic wine delivers power, length and intensity, with a weighty, expansive palate and remarkable complexity that set it apart. The aroma is so seamless that it is difficult to dissect, but a closer look reveals alluring hints of charred citrus, lemon butter, meringue and flint. The palate is deeply satisfying and, though it has gained extra dimensions, softness and layers with age, it retains an inherent freshness and youthful beauty.
98 POINTS
Ken Gargett - Winepilot
Named after their former long term winemaker and Hunter legend, Iain Riggs, this is Brokenwood’s prestige Semillon and, indeed, always one of the very best from the region. The team pick the best fruit from whichever vineyard provides it and the wine always has an extended period in the cellar before release. This vintage, a very good one, that vineyard was the Trevena Vineyard on Hermitage Road, originally planted in 1926. Shining lemon/lime, this is early days for this very fine wine, but it is unquestionably a thrilling ILR and a great Hunter Semillon. The nose gives us notes of lemons on toast, florals, dry herbs, citrus, limes and a flick of peach kernels. There is great structure here and the wine is already exhibiting complexity. Wonderfully supple in texture with immense length, a line of fine acidity runs the full journey. Everything is impeccably balanced and we can expect this wine to provide pleasure for at least another twenty years. Stunning.
97 POINTS
2025 - Decanter World Wine Awards
Spectacular notes of lemon curd, gilled lemon and kaffir lime leaves thrive alongside the hot steely mineral and salty characters. Fizzing with vigour and zest with a seamless acidity and superb honeyed note to end. Award: Platinum - DWWA 2025
96 POINTS
Ray Jordan - Winepilot
Let’s go back to the source. The Trevena Vineyard on Hermitage Road was planted in 1926. The 2019 vintage was a warm, dry year — in January, when this wine was picked, there were only three days under 30 degrees. So, it has some generosity, while retaining the freshness and vibrancy of the low alcohol and precise acidity that make it such a compelling wine. Lemony, zesty characters are only just beginning to show the faintest hint of development, and there’s still plenty of time to go. A thoroughly beautiful example of Hunter Semillon that captures everything you want in this sometimes underrated variety.
96 POINTS
Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The 2019 ILR Reserve Semillon leads with scratched citrus, lemon oil, white pepper, lanolin and cheesecloth. In the mouth, it is texturally chalky and fine, and then phenolics, while sleek, provide texture and gentle grip in the mouth. This is really good. It already has plenty of power and concentration, and the future will be extraordinarily bright, and long. 11% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. While this is the confirmed blend of ILR, in 2024 it is not yet labeled as such.
96 POINTS
Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The 2019 ILR Reserve Semillon is today tasted as a finished wine (the previous note for this refers to a sample tasted at the winery, which was finished but not labeled), and it aromatically leads with seashells, cut grass, paraffin and scratched lemon zest. In the mouth, the wine is toasty and attractively wide, with loads of flavor that builds through the finish. This is a wine that needs a second mouthful in order to make sense of the first, and once begun, it's a beauty. This is very good indeed. 11.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
95 POINTS
Gary Walsh - The Wine Front
From the Trevena Vineyard on Hermitage Road, planted 1926. Iain Leslie Riggs. Silly spelling of Ian, yet still we love him. Onya Riggsy, you legend. Lime, lemon curd, choux pasty, green tea, honey and chamomile. It’s a juicy wine, lots of limey flavour, a hay-like savoury edge, a zesty tang to acidity, something of a soapy character in the mix, not a bad thing, more a regional thing, lime zest and zip on a finish of excellent length. A lot of Semillon here. Perhaps not classic, but very good all the same. Best consumed over the next few years I’d say.
Fragrant and lemony, with purity and freshness, this medium-bodied semillon glides gently down a long and refreshingly clean palate with brightness and zest. It's a beautifully presented and elegant wine that just lacks the complexity and texture for a higher rating,
