TYRRELL'S

Tyrrell's is one of Australia's most historic and important family-owned wineries, based at Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. Established by Edward Tyrrell in 1858, the estate has remained in the Tyrrell family for five generations and has played a defining role in the development of Australian wine, particularly Hunter Valley Semillon, Shiraz and Chardonnay.

The story began when English immigrant Edward Tyrrell acquired 320 acres of land in the Hunter Valley and named the property Ashmans. He constructed an ironbark slab hut, which remains standing beside the winery today, and began planting Shiraz and Semillon. Tyrrell's first vintage followed in 1864, beginning a continuous family winemaking history stretching across more than 160 years.

Few Australian producers are as closely associated with a particular wine style as Tyrrell's is with Hunter Valley Semillon. The region produces a distinctive expression of the variety: relatively low in alcohol, intensely fresh and citrus-driven when young, yet capable of developing remarkable complexity with bottle age. Tyrrell's has been instrumental in establishing this uniquely Australian style as one of the country's internationally recognised fine wines.

At the centre of this reputation is Tyrrell's Vat 1 Semillon, first produced in 1963. Made only from the estate's finest old-vine, dry-grown Semillon blocks, its foundation is the Short Flat Vineyard, where the oldest Semillon vines date to 1923. Traditionally fermented in stainless steel without oak fermentation or maturation, Vat 1 demonstrates the extraordinary transformation of Hunter Semillon from youthful citrus and freshness toward increasingly complex toasted, honeyed and developed characters with age.

Vat 1 has become Australia's most awarded white wine, accumulating almost 5,500 medals and more than 330 trophies during its history. Its significance extends beyond awards: the wine has become one of the definitive reference points for Australian Semillon and an important demonstration of the variety's exceptional ability to mature in bottle.

Tyrrell's has also played a pioneering role in the history of Australian Chardonnay. In 1968, Murray Tyrrell planted Chardonnay on the family property using cuttings from the Penfolds-owned HVD vineyard. The resulting Vat 47 Chardonnay, released three years later, became Australia's first commercial Chardonnay and helped introduce a variety that would eventually become fundamental to the Australian wine industry.

Shiraz represents another cornerstone of the estate. Rather than the dense and powerful style associated with some warmer Australian regions, traditional Hunter Valley Shiraz can offer medium-bodied structure, savoury complexity, red and dark fruits, fine tannins and remarkable longevity. Tyrrell's flagship Vat 9 Shiraz and its collection of ancient-vine single-vineyard Shiraz provide some of the estate's most serious interpretations of the variety.

Perhaps the most extraordinary part of Tyrrell's heritage is its collection of ancient vineyards. The Hunter Valley contains some of the world's oldest surviving productive vines, many planted on their own roots from pre-phylloxera material. Tyrrell's has spent generations identifying and preserving these exceptional sites, with some vineyard blocks dating back to the nineteenth century.

These vineyards form the basis of Tyrrell's celebrated Sacred Sites collection. The wines are produced from individual vineyard blocks more than 100 years old and are released only when vintage quality allows. The collection includes Old Patch Shiraz, planted in 1867; 4 Acres Shiraz, planted in 1879; 8 Acres Shiraz, planted in 1892; Johnno's Semillon and Johnno's Shiraz, planted in 1908; HVD Chardonnay, planted in 1908; and NVC Shiraz, planted in 1921. Production is extremely limited, making these wines some of Australia's most fascinating expressions of old-vine terroir.

Tyrrell's exploration of individual vineyards extends beyond the Sacred Sites collection. The estate formally introduced its first single-vineyard wine, HVD Semillon, in 1983, before progressively identifying, acquiring and securing access to many of the Hunter Valley's finest vineyard sites. This shift toward vineyard-specific bottlings has become one of the most important developments in Tyrrell's modern history.

Today, Tyrrell's remains a genuine multigenerational family winery, with Bruce Tyrrell representing the fourth generation and Chris Tyrrell the fifth. While the estate has modernised considerably, its identity remains deeply connected to the vineyards and winemaking traditions that established the family's reputation. Its Hunter Valley winery and vineyards achieved certification through Sustainable Winegrowing Australia in 2023.

For collectors of Australian wine, Tyrrell's offers something increasingly rare: not simply a historic label, but direct access to vineyards that have survived for more than a century. From the extraordinary ageing potential of Vat 1 Semillon and the pioneering legacy of Vat 47 Chardonnay to Vat 9 Shiraz and the tiny-production Sacred Sites wines, Tyrrell's remains one of the essential producers for understanding both the Hunter Valley and the history of fine wine in Australia.

Shop Tyrrell's wines online at Wine More Cellars Australia. Discover Hunter Valley Semillon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Vat 1, Vat 9 and premium old-vine Australian wines with Australia-wide shipping and free delivery on eligible orders over $199.