Made either dry or sweet, semillon is the mainstay of some of the world’s finest and longest-lived white blends. But on its own, the dry varietal wine with stunning potential is under the radar. In our recent tasting trip to South America, we saw a renaissance of quality semillon off the beaten track and discovered a few gems from vineyards in Argentina.

As a dry wine, standalone semillon can be versatile in style depending on the terroir and winemaking savoir-faire. But it would be incomplete not to mention the classic Hunter Valley, where semillon is picked early and fermented dry to a pale wine with very low alcohol and austere, laser-beam acidity. It is known for its ability to age and morph into something complex and truly spectacular.

The story of semillon in South America starts in the 19th Century when it traveled to Chile by way of Bordeaux (like many other grapes) and then crossed the Andes into Argentina. The grape was favored for its high yield in the 1970s, making it the second most planted white variety in Argentina with vineyards covering 5,500 hectares dedicated to it. Much of it went into bulk wine production. Today, semillon has fallen out of fashion in Argentina, where the total plantation has plummeted to less than 700 hectares. But at the same time, quality has surged.

As we tasted through our semillon flights this year, we discovered that it was a few consistent producers in Mendoza and Patagonia who are behind the renaissance of semillon. Roberto de Mota from Mendel was among the first in Mendoza to reset the quality bar for Argentine semillon. Alejandro Vigil of Bodega Aleanna is also onboard now and makes a great wine, proving the potential of semillon in Mendoza. Try his El Enemigo Semillon Mendoza; both the 2017 and 2018 are mind blowing. Matias Riccitelli and Noemia are making formidable semillons in Patagonia too, striving for purity and finesse.

With a budget of $35, we found the following five wines that can be enjoyed now or later. It is a little early to know whether all these wines will age well, but we can be sure they are worth drinking now and for the next three years. I would suggest you buy a few bottles and consume them over a period of time to see how they evolve.