Tyrrell's
When we started Waters Wine Company we had it in mind that we didn't want producers who were too big, or who sold their wines to supermarkets. For us, this dictum is largely intact. There was, however, one exception that we just had to make from the get go - Tyrrell's Wines.
We have visited hundreds of cellar doors over the years, all over the world. The laconic, Australian, friendly and unpretentious welcome that is Tyrrell's has never failed to deliver immense pleasure and respect.
Respect in the fact that great wines are made here, and have been for over 150 years. Respect in the fact that the dumbest questions that a young winelover asked at the cellar door were answered with patience and not in the least bit ridiculed.
And respect in knowing that these wines can only come from the Hunter Valley. Here is a producer who steadfastly stands by the styles that has made the Hunter Valley a great and uniquely idiosyncratic wine region. If ever there was a region that defined Australian exceptionalism in wine, it is the Hunter. And Tyrrell's Wines are the bedrock, benchmark and bookend of this tradition.
When describing wine most of us use epithets like 'modern', 'traditional' and so on. Perhaps the most fashionable descriptor these days is something like 'traditional winemaking', or made with 'traditional methods'. This is usually attached to a new or young producer, who you could invariably describe as 'modern'. So where does Tyrrell's fit?
Stylistically, Tyrrells is quintessentially Hunter Valley. These wines do not tip their hat to the northern Rhone, Bordeaux or Burgundy. Rather, they are entirely unto themselves.
There is certainly a claret-like profile in their red wines. Cool fruits of blue, red and sometimes black, coupled with a brooding bitumen earthiness that can only be Hunter. They do not wear the padded velvet of their South Australian counterparts. Usually medium-bodied, they have a structure of armour and angles. Firm thrashing tannins, tightened noose-like around a pulsing core of fruit. An acid line, spearlike, shaping and framing the wine, and driving the finish.
The whites are incomparable. Literally. There is now great consistency with Hunter Valley Semillon. There are some off-dry styles. Some Semillons have their fruit picked later, to create a more forward, softer, rounder early drinking wine. Tyrrell's Semillons are synonymous with gentler textures and length. For me it is their textural elegance and length of flavour that sets these wines apart from the rest of the Valley.
Website: www.tyrrells.com.au
Location: 1838 Broke Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320
Winemaker: Andrew Spinaze
Showing all 12 results
Tyrrell’s Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2018
Add to cart$20.00in any six
$23.00 per single bottle
Medium in colour, with nice green hues. Lovely mix of citrus, white stone fruit and some oak spice on the nose. Medium bodied palate with great fruit intensity and texture. Sourced from a small selection of Tyrrells’ favourite Chardonnay blocks, the grapes were both hand and machine picked before gentle pressing and fermentation. The wine […]
Producer: Tyrrell's
Producer: Tyrrell's$20.00in any six
$23.00 per single bottle
Tyrrell’s Hunter Valley Semillon 2019
Add to cart$20.00in any six
$23.00 per single bottle
Sourced from a small selection of Tyrrells’ favourite Semillon blocks, the grapes were both hand and machine picked before gentle pressing and fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The wine then spent a few months on yeast lees to gain extra complexity and mouth feel. Another great Hunter vintage. Light-bodied and citrusy with a fresh and […]
Producer: Tyrrell's
Producer: Tyrrell's$20.00in any six
$23.00 per single bottle
Tyrrell’s Vat 9 Shiraz 2017
Add to cart$90.00in any six
$103.00 per single bottle
There is no other Australian shiraz that is as multifaceted and encapsulates the concept of light and shade as the Tyrrell’s Vat 9 Shiraz. To quote Robert Hughes from his masterpiece, Goya, it is ‘the primal struggle of light and dark, that flux from which all consciousness of shape is born’. The 2017 Vat 9 […]
Producer: Tyrrell's
Producer: Tyrrell's$90.00in any six
$103.00 per single bottle
Tyrrell’s Johnno’s Semillon 2019
Add to cart$62.00in any six
$71.00 per single bottle
Shows all the hallmarks of a classic Hunter semillon. This wine comes from the Johnno’s vineyard, which sits just below the winery and was planted in 1908. Made in a style reminiscent of the Hunter semillons of yesteryear; the fruit was basket pressed, the juice saw minimal clarification and the wine was fermented using natural […]
Producer: Tyrrell's
Producer: Tyrrell's$62.00in any six
$71.00 per single bottle
Tyrrell’s Old Hut Shiraz 2017
Add to cart$40.00in any six
$45.00 per single bottle
The 2017 Old Hut Shiraz has an enticing nose of dark berry fruits and lifted spice. It’s a dense, more brooding style of Shiraz compared to the Tyrrell’s 4 Acres. Yet it still shows the pedigree of its lineage with superb balance and length. The Old Hut vineyard was planted in 2003 with cuttings taken […]
Producer: Tyrrell's
Producer: Tyrrell's$40.00in any six
$45.00 per single bottle
Tyrrell’s Vat 47 Chardonnay 2017
Add to cart$68.00in any six
$78.00 per single bottle
One of the few Australian Chardonnays that is always in need of cellaring. The Vat 47 follows on from the Tyrrell’s red styles – medium bodied with an angular structure that demands time to fully integrate and flesh out. The 2017 Tyrrell’s Vat 47 is one of the finest to date. Aroma’s are more expressive […]
Producer: Tyrrell's
Producer: Tyrrell's$68.00in any six
$78.00 per single bottle
Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 2005
Add to cart$139.00in any six
$149.00 per single bottle
The most awarded wine in Tyrrells’ history, this is classic Hunter Valley Semillon. A tightly structured palate with considerable length and breadth of citrus fruit flavours. This wine is only just beginning to evolve and show hints of toasty, bottle aged complexity. An iconic Australian wine from what is a classic vintage for Hunter Semillon. […]
Producer: Tyrrell's
Producer: Tyrrell's$139.00in any six
$149.00 per single bottle
Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 2013
Add to cart$76.00in any six
$82.00 per single bottle
Lifted lime citrus aromas, the palate is seamless – showing the typical powerful fruit core, balanced by the wine’s texture and soft acid profile. The length and power of fruit on the palate is what sets this year’s Vat 1 apart from other recent vintages. A classic in the making, akin to the legendary 2005 […]
Producer: Tyrrell's
Producer: Tyrrell's$76.00in any six
$82.00 per single bottle
Tyrrell’s Mother’s Shiraz 2017
Add to cart$40.00in any six
$45.00 per single bottle
2017 is the first ever release of the Mother’s Shiraz. It has an intense aromatic profile that is very true to the Tyrrell’s style with an abundance of summer fruits. The palate is fresh and juicy with only the subtle influence of oak. Mother’s vineyard is situated adjacent to Chris and Tegan Tyrrell’s house and […]
Producer: Tyrrell's
Producer: Tyrrell's$40.00in any six
$45.00 per single bottle
Tyrrell’s Vat 8 Shiraz Cabernet 2017
Add to cart$68.00in any six
$78.00 per single bottle
Always the most accessible wine from the Tyrrell’s premium wine stable. Sumptuous aromas of blueberry, plums, blackcurrant, and dark cherries. The palate lives up to the promise of the nose. Rich and full bodied with saturated black, blue and red fruits. Plenty of chocolate and vanilla from the oak, though not overdone. The Vat 8 […]
Producer: Tyrrell's
Producer: Tyrrell's$68.00in any six
$78.00 per single bottle
Tyrrell’s Vat 6 Pinot Noir 2017
Add to cart$68.00in any six
$78.00 per single bottle
The 2017 Vat 6 Tyrrell’s Pinot Noir is gorgeous. It’s nervy and has that fabulous angular structure unique to Tyrrell’s. There is a complexity of flavour that I have not yet seen from this wine. Raspberry, strawberry and cranberry with hints of porcini mushroom and cured meat. There are also wonderful hints of oak spice […]
Producer: Tyrrell's
Producer: Tyrrell's$68.00in any six
$78.00 per single bottle
Tyrrell’s Hunter Valley Shiraz 2018
Add to cart$20.00in any six
$23.00 per single bottle
Vibrant purple colour, with a lifted nose showing red fruits and some spice. The palate has wonderful concentration and depth yet still lively and fresh. The tannins are expansive yet remain soft and the acidity adds to the winesncomplexity. A wonderful example of the modern, medium bodied Hunter Valley Shiraz. Sourced from a small selection […]
Producer: Tyrrell's
Producer: Tyrrell's$20.00in any six
$23.00 per single bottle