1996 Kalin Cellars Sémillon

(blended with 25% sauvignon blanc) Full bright gold. Fresh, slightly high-toned aromas of orange, apricot, oatmeal, hazelnut; notes of resiny eucalyptus and bay leaf emerged with aeration. At once penetrating and dense, with strong flavors of apricot and nut oil framed by strong but integrated acidity. As bracing as this is, it's ultimately creamy in the middle. This needs further aging, or a good bit of aeration, to reveal its inherent complexity, but there's a core of fruit like steel here. Finishes with sneaky length. I found myself raising my score each time I went back to the glass.