Established in 1858 by English immigrant Edward Tyrrell, Tyrrell’s Wines is one of Australia’s pre-eminent family owned wine companies with vineyards extending from their historic home in the Hunter Valley to the Limestone Coast SA and Heathcote VIC. Headed up by fourth generation family member Bruce Tyrrell, Tyrrell’s is home to some of Australia’s most awarded wined including the iconic Vat 1 Semillon. Since 1971, Tyrrell’s has been awarded over 5,000 trophies and medals and in 2010 was names “Winery of the Year’ in James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion. With fifth generation, Chris, Jane and John, involved in the business, Tyrrell’s will continue to remain family owned with the simple philosophy of producing high quality wine that people love to drink.

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. Date: Dec 2021; Alcohol: 11.5%; Drink by: 2035; Rating: 97 Points; Ned Goodwin MW; James Halliday Wine Companion

Intense 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. Date: July 2017; Alcohol: 11.5%; Closure: Screwcap; Drink: 2020-2038+; Rated: 96 Points; Gary Walsh; The Wine Front

2017 was a rare Hunter vintage, rain absent, and both shiraz and semillon flourished. The pale straw-green colour of this wine is startling, showing no development. The palate is superb, lime and lemon fused with mouth-watering, diamond-drill acidity. Date: Nov 2023; Alcohol: 11.5%; Price: $115.00; Drink by: 2048; Rating: 98 Points & Top 100 Wines for 2023; James Halliday Wine Companion