Briar Ridge Dairy Hill Hunter Valley Semillon 2023

96 Points Ned Goodwin, MW, Jamessuckling.com

Handpicked from dry grown vines. Foot-stomped, with a brief period on skins before an ambient fermentation in a meld of tank and larger format neutral wood. A different handle to the regional standard. Dry grown. Lemon drop and picked Indian lime, with pithy hints of stone fruit, drifting well away from the tighter citric norm. For the better. A broader texture, loaning itself to approachability without any forfeit of intensity. Nicely chewy, too. This is a delicious mid-weighted semillon, setting the regional bar high by virtue of its stridency across the palate and attractive variances. Drink or hold but best in eight years. Screw cap. 

95 Points Wine Advocate

The 2023 Dairy Hill Semillon is far more concentrated in flavor than the Black Cluster Single Vineyard Semillon tasted beside it. Here, you get green apple skins, sage and tobacco, layers of crushed shells and preserved citrus, as well as tatami mat, lemongrass and reeds. Through the palate, the acidity is woven into every fiber of the fruit, carrying it long through the finish. A mouthwatering wine, it is full of potential and flavor. It's exciting