TYRELL’S
The shape of Australia’s wine industry began to change significantly during the 1960s, with vineyard expansion happening across the country once again. The Hunter Valley, once a bastion of colonial wine, enjoyed a new period of optimism after two decades in the economic doldrums. Murray Tyrrell epitomized the energy and visions of a new era with the creation of modern styles based on heirloom vineyards going back to the 19th century. Under the direction of Bruce Tyrell and his team, particularly winemaker Andrew Spinaze (who joined the company in 1980), the wines have evolved as key regional benchmarks. The release of the 1962 Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Hunter River Riesling (Semillon) marked the beginning of an expressive modern and long-lasting white wine. The introduction of refrigeration had allowed winemakers to control fermentation and protect the aromatics and natural flavours of Semillon. Whilst the first vintages were aged in large, seasoned oak vats, the style was gradually modified to allow more richness of flavour during development. The introduction of screw cap seals ensured the wines were not susceptible to early oxidation. The Tyrrell’s Vat 1 is a truly remarkable wine style that highlights the specialness of Semillon in the Hunter Valley. The wines are typically quite austere when first released (with a hint of SO2), but over time the ageing process promotes extraordinary aromatic complexity and the palate fills out, bringing further magic. There are few wines in the world that can match this type of transformation. This vertical shows the remarkable progress of the Vat 1 style. It shows how easy it is to underestimate the potential of young wine and the surprising beauty of a fully mature vintage. The 2005 Vat 1 is just wonderful. It was also fascinating to see the first vintage under screw cap. Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon is the reference for the Hunter Valley Semillon. It is tried and proven in the bull pit of the wine show circuit, where it has enjoyed stand-out success for decades. Tyrrell’s Vat 47 Chardonnay is an institution in New South Wales and beyond. It was an early champion of Australia’s modern chardonnay movement and has remained, by and large, true to its original ambitions. The 50th release, the 2021 vintage, is a compelling ripe and expressive style. The 2009 vintage highlights its ageing capacity and the fidelity of vineyard sourcing. The overall style has lovely definition, weight and texture, a lovely foil against the current trend for flinty minerally chardonnays. Tyrrell’s Vat 9 is also a famous sibling wine and remains an important feature of the Hunter Valley’s fine wine agenda. Under screw cap, the wines show very good freshness and complexity with age.
Tyrell’s 211
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