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Australia's first vineyards were planted here in 1788. Today, the state is most famous for the Hunter Valley, where Australia's most delicate, ageworthy white wines are made. Picked early and light in alcohol, Hunter semillon is delicious for its dry, tight structure and lemony fruit which becomes toasty and soft in texture with age. In successful vintages, Hunter’s medium-bodied, earthy and ageworthy shiraz reds can also be outstanding.
A member of the prestigious Australia’s First Families of Wine initiative, it is not surprising given Tyrrell’s history that they make some of the most-awarded wines in the country.
Tyrell’s have been making wine since 1858. Their founder’s philosophy was ‘nothing is great unless it is good’ and this is still very much the family motto. Their history spans five generations, and is today headed by the irrepressible Bruce Tyrrell and his children Chris, Jane and John.
Chris has already proven to be a talented winemaker; however it is Bruce who has been behind much of Tyrrell’s success in the last two decades. Not afraid to get his hands dirty, his direct, heart-on-his-sleeve approach has made him one of the great Aussie characters of the wine world.
Like its maker, their signature Vat 1 Hunter Valley Semillon is one of the country’s true individuals and has proven impossible to imitate. It is grown near Sydney, where the conditions suit the grape nicely: grapes are picked relatively early and bottled quickly, meaning a low potential alcohol, high acidity and neutral flavour.
In their early days they are unexpectedly neutral in character, but their true talent lies in blossoming beautifully with age (sometimes upwards of 20 years) and showcasing the elegant, restrained and compellingly unique Hunter Valley style.
This - along with all the other Tyrrell’s wines we stock - is grown in the Polkobin area of Hunter Valley, where they first planted vines in 1879. Unsurprisingly given...
With wet weather affecting almost everywhere at some point except Western Australia, some areas lost a lot of fruit while others were little affected. However, there were many very good wines made. South Australia suffered a good deal of fungal problems and growers had to show care and attention in managing the vines and selecting the fruit. Whites, particularly riesling, were the successes there. The same is true of Victoria where similar disease pressures applied. New South Wales had a disappointingly damp and cold vintage, though reds from around Canberra were very good. It was left to Western Australia to act as a beacon of hope, and a warm, dry vintage led to excellent cabernet-based reds.
