Tyrrell's is an iconic Hunter Valley winery renowned for producing some of Australia’s greatest wines. Headed up by fourth-generation family member Bruce Tyrrell, Tyrrell’s is home to some of Australia’s most awarded wines including the iconic Vat 1 Semillon. Since 1971, Tyrrell’s has been awarded over 5,000 trophies and medals and in 2010 was named “Winery of the Year” in James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion.
Vat 1 Semillon only ever comes from their best old vine, dry grown vineyards. These blocks feature ideal sandy, free draining soils that give these wines their unique character. The oldest of these blocks was planted in 1923. The 2017 Vintage was one of the best in recent memory and has produced wines of the highest quality.
Solid rains in winter and spring meant the vines had constant access to water and the warmer weather in the new year meant all of the fruit was in near perfect condition and ripeness when it was harvested. All of the fruit was hand-picked and carefully sorted in the vineyard. After a relatively cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine spent a minimal time on yeast lees before being bottled early to maintain its freshness. No oak fermentation or maturation.
Bright, light yellow colour with intense lemongrass aromas, hints of straw and wax, barely any toast evident at this stage, the palate intense and long, concentrated and driving, without bigness or heft but light on its feet and super-precise. Fills every corner of the mouth effortlessly: an outstanding semi-mature semillon. Superior concentration and persistence here. This is ageing very slowly and will be long-lived.
While I enjoy the open-knit approaches to crafting Semillon across the region, this remains the bulletproof benchmark. Even here, there have been endeavours toward greater accessibility, with some lees inflection. A meld of the finest dry-grown plots conferring a carapace of talc, sandy mineral and effusive acidity that is, to be frank, indomitable. Descriptives, ineffable. The length, justifiable. Bury this.
ntense limey goodness here, which will roll on to become a classic white Hunter Burgundy with bottle age: a subtle white flower perfume tells part of tale. Perfectly pitched, intense and crunchy, flavoursome too, with weight but no heaviness. There’s a light powdery texture, which seems to be a hallmark of the 2017 vintage. Then the finish. So long. A phenomenal Vat 1."