Tyrrell's family has been producing some of Australia's most award-winning wines since 1971, including the iconic Vat 1 Semillon. The Vat 47 Chardonnay Magnum 1.5L 2019 is another one of their top-notch products, made entirely from Chardonnay vines planted in 1968 by Murray Tyrrell at their Short Flat vineyard.
The wine's dry conditions and perfect condition fruit make it stand out from other vintages. The grapes were handpicked, then basket-pressed immediately, and cold-settled for two days before being racked into stainless-steel tanks for fermentation. The fermenting juice was then transferred to French oak barriques to complete fermentation and maturation before bottling in October.
The Vat 47 Chardonnay has a complex nose of white stone fruit, grapefruit, and delicate flowers with a hint of high-quality French oak in the background. Its medium-bodied palate offers sweet Chardonnay fruit balanced by textural elements derived from the solids ferment and extended time on yeast lees.
This particular product comes in a magnum-sized bottle, holding 1.5 liters of the award-winning wine. The larger bottle size not only looks impressive and grand on any dinner table, but it also provides benefits to the wine itself. Magnum-sized bottles have a slower aging process, resulting in a more developed and refined flavor profile. The larger bottle size also reduces the wine's surface area, preventing oxidation and keeping the wine fresher for longer.
"I’m always quietly amazed by the quality of Vat 47, given it’s Hunter Chardonnay. There’s a little bit of pixie dust somewhere around this wine. Smooth and glossy texture, but refined too, with fine acidity, lime, and peach, a dusting of spice, vanilla, and cashew. It’s lively, and balanced, runs from front to back palate without raising a sweat, is so calm and composed, and closes long and juicy, with a wee bit of dried herb and green olive in the aftertaste. Even as a young wine, you just want to drink the hell out of it. Yes."
"This is always a rewarding wine. A measured take on Hunter's proclivity for generosity finding confluence with chardonnay's affinity for oak and (partial) wild fermentation. Tropical accents of canned pineapple and dried mango. Vanilla pod oak, nougat, nutmeg, and cinnamon. A long, rich sluice of fruit. Oak on the edges. Will gain greater poise in a few years, but loads of fun already."