Join us on Thursday August 8th for Bruce Tyrrell’s 14 Wine and 6 Course Dinner
Includes… 3 Museum Vat 1s. 3 Vat 9 Shiraz. The Rare 4 & 8 Acre … & Jonno’s Shiraz 2022
14 Tyrrell’s current &
Museum releases
Vat 1 Semillons - 2018, 2014 & 2006
Vat 9 Shiraz from 2021. 2019 & 2017
And the rare Shiraz superstars …
And …
only 12 of each came to WA …
8 Acres 2022
4 Acres 2022
Johnno’s 2022
Did you know….Vat 1 Semillon is Australia’s most awarded white wine, having won almost 5,500 medals and more than 330 trophies!
Hosted by:
Bruce Tyrrell, Owner & Winemaker
Dinner: 6.30pm, 14 Wines & 6 Courses $275
Thursday August 8th
(Optional seating arrangements for Bruce Tyrrell’s 14 Wine and 6 Course Dinner)
Join Bruce inside the private Blackwell Room with its large 14 person Boardroom format …or, have your party’s own well-spaced private table in the restaurant with Bruce coming out to join you personally from time to time)
ABOUT TYRRELL’S
Tyrrell’s is as much a part of the fabric of the Hunter Valley as the Semillon and Shiraz vines we’ve been nurturing since our founder, English-immigrant Edward Tyrrell, first planted them during the mid-19th century.
Having lived and breathed wine growing and winemaking in the Hunter Valley for more than 160 years, we’ve amassed an unrivalled knowledge of what makes the Hunter one of Australia’s, and indeed the world’s, greatest winegrowing regions.
Over those 160-plus years, Tyrrell’s has been a constant in both the Hunter Valley and Australian wine industries. We helped to pioneer what are now two of Australia’s favourite wine varieties – Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – and have been instrumental in establishing Hunter Valley Semillon as one of the world’s iconic wine styles. Our Vat 1 Semillon is Australia’s most awarded white wine, having won almost 5,500 medals and more than 330 trophies.
Our long history in the Hunter Valley has enabled us to identify the region’s best vineyards, 11 of them more than a century old; to ascertain the best blocks within those vineyards; and to craft wines from those blocks that clearly reflect their origins. The Tyrrell family owns eight of the 11 oldest vineyards in NSW and uses fruit from these ancient vines to craft the wines that make up our Tyrrell’s Sacred Sites. Among those wines is our Old Patch Shiraz, which has been awarded a perfect 100-point score for four releases in a row – 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019 – by influential US wine journalist James Suckling.
While the Tyrrells are all aware of, and have a deep respect for, the foundations put in place by their forefathers, they are also always looking to the future. “It’s a humbling experience to be able to go out every day and work with vineyards that were planted by my grandfather, my great grandfather and my great, great grandfather,” says fifth-generation winemaker Chris Tyrrell. “And while the Hunter Valley was Australia’s first grape-growing region, it’s still a progressive wine region. No-one rests on their laurels here, and at Tyrrell’s we are very much a part of that, constantly looking to innovate and stay ahead of the curve.” As Chris and his father, Bruce, say, it’s all about keeping half an eye on the past and one and half eyes on the future.
Tyrrell’s was among the founding members of Australia’s First Families of Wine, an organisation that helps to build awareness of premium Australian wines and their heritage. With a fifth generation now involved in the business, Tyrrell’s will continue to remain family run, with each generation focused on passing the business to the next in better condition than they received it, all the while being guided by Edward Tyrrell’s motto: “Nothing is great unless it is good.”
tyrrells.com.au
Your Host - Owner & Winemaker, Bruce Tyrrell
Bruce graduated from the University of New England in 1973 with a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics. He has had a broad range of involvement in the wine industry, including serving as a Director of the Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association and the Hunter Valley Research Foundation.
In 2006, Bruce was recognised with an Order of Australia medal in recognition of his contribution to the Australian wine industry – in particular his efforts to improve grape quality, research, tourism and export opportunities. In 2009, he was named a Hunter Valley Living Legend at the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Awards. The same year, Tyrrell’s was named Australian Red Winery of the Year by Gary Walsh and Campbell Mattinson. Tyrrell’s was also named Australian Winery of the Year by James Halliday in his 2010 Australian Wine Companion.
In 2012, Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon and Vat 9 Shiraz were the inaugural winners of the Wines of Provenance award at the Hunter Valley Wine Show. In 2016, Bruce received the Graham Gregory Award in recognition of his services to the NSW wine industry. The following year, Bruce was recognised by his peers for his significant contribution to the Hunter Valley wine industry, presenting him with the Hunter Valley Award for Excellence. And in 2023, Bruce was honoured as a Life Member of the Australian Grape and Wine Industry. This award recognises outstanding leadership and contribution to the nation’s wine industry over and above an individual’s career achievements.
Then Wine List
Estate Grown Chardonnay 2023, Our Price $37
Purchased and estate-grown fruit. This is the wine that seasons the new wood for the higher echelon wines up the range. On a side note, each cuvee comes from a separate cooper. 15% new wood, in this instance. A fruit-salad sort of nose, boasting toasted hazelnut, white peach and a whiff of praline. Thoroughly impressive, especially for a wine that kicks off a winning range. Hard to go past at the price.
91 Points Ned Godwin MW, jamessuckling.com
Vat 47 Chardonnay 2022, Our Price $87
The grapes for this thoroughly modern, historically significant chardonnay are sourced entirely from Tyrrell's 55-year-old Short Flat estate vineyard, and the cool season resulted in a wine with remarkable tension on the front palate, plus acid-driven intensity and length. The palate is beautifully complete with breadth and generosity while being refined and restrained simultaneously. The beauty in this wine is the micro detail giving discreet, sophisticated complexity. It has impressive balance and flow, and I expect it to evolve beautifully with time.
97 Points Toni Paterson, Halliday Wine Companion
The flagship, yet with only 10% new oak. 40-50% used oak, mind you. The most tightly knit and paradoxically, at least from an initial tasting perspective, the most intense of these chardonnays. Peach crumble, vanilla pod and cinnamon stick. There is a wonderful, mid-weighted flamboyance here, typical of region, corseted by well-pointed acidity and classy oak. A chardonnay for the hedonists as much as for the sophisticates.
95 Points Ned Godwin MW, jamessuckling.com
1st Course
Single Vineyard Stevens Semillon 2018, Our Price $37
4 Trophies, 17 Gold Medals
Stevens Semillon is a special wine at Tyrrell's, which began making it in 1993 from a block owned by Neil and Bernadette Stevens. The wine inspired Bruce Tyrrell to develop a 'single site' range of wines. Tyrrell's cemented this wine's place within its portfolio by purchasing the block in 2022. The wine is in a sweet spot, with an expressive lemon curd aroma and a subtle smoky overlay. The palate exhibits the warmth of the vintage with delicious, subtle sweet pear and white peach flavours packed into a soft, cleansing palate. The wine is in its prime, with exceptional character and brightness.
96 Points Toni Paterson, Halliday Wine Companion
This has immaculately fresh lemon and lemon-blossom aromas with lemon-peel notes, too. The palate has a very intense, rich and ripe feel with succulently fleshy lemon flavors. Drink or hold.
94 Points James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
Single Vineyard HVD Semillon 2018, Our Price $37
Vivid green colour, the nose is complex with an almost savoury element that sits in well with the riper citrus characters. The palate is full and soft, typical of the vineyard with a fine boned acidity with an almost chalky finish
winery notes
2nd Course
Vat 1 Semillon 2018, Our Price $92
1 Trophy, 4 Gold Medals
At 6 years of age, the wine is beginning to bloom, displaying attractive ripe lemon, citrus curd and honeysuckle aromas. These characters are in the riper spectrum for this wine. The palate is on the generous side, but it still has the clarity and style one expects from Vat 1. There is no hiding the fact that '18 was a hot year. Consequently, this will be an earlier-drinking Vat 1, but no less enjoyable. That is the thing about iconic wines; the season may change, but their inherent qualities remain constant. Ready to drink on release.
97 Points Toni Paterson, Halliday Wine Companion
Vat 1 Semillon 2014, Our Price $117
Only available to Wine Club members now, the main release 5 years down the track. Made from the estate's Short Flat Vineyard, the blocks dating back to '23, this is destined to add yet more trophies to the Tyrrell's warehouse of such tributes. Its balance and mouthfeel are remarkable, supple and juicy, yet cleansed by gently insistent acidity.
97 Points James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
A fantastic semillon, this is deep and dry with lemon-curd, salt, stone and pear-skin character. Full and energetic. So much going on here. It goes on for minutes. Block of marble.
95 Points James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
When you look at Vat 1 in a blind line-up including other top semillons, what makes it stand out is its sheer intensity of flavour, as well as its freshness compared to other wines of similar age. This wine has incredible palate depth, not to mention delicacy, form and grace. Lemon curd aromatics with faint and respectful flintiness. The bright palate is soft, generously flavoured and mouth-filling, with an integrated acid line. Completely delicious and well-worthy of its icon status
95 Points Toni Paterson, The Real Review
Vat 1 Semillon 2006, Our Price $179
The 2006 Vat 1 Semillon had a fine spritz in the glass as I poured it, and now in the mouth, 30 minutes later, it is alive and kinetic in texture. This is complex and vital, so alive and pert it feels younger than the 2009 tasted beside it, perhaps even brighter than the 2013. A marvellous wine. All things tight and glorious here, you get lemongrass, brine, grated apple peel, jasmine tea, almond meal, citrus oil, lemon verbena, thyme ... I could go on. Suffice to say, this is sensational. It has a resonant vibration at its very core.
97+ Points Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate
A great wine which will seemingly live forever, it is so fresh and youthful at eight and a half years. It has the typical Vat 1 bouquet of lemony Sunlight soap with a lanolin overtone, with very little aged toastiness. The palate is soft and seamless, pure as the proverbial driven snow, the acidity in perfect harmony and not showing out at all. A great example of the style and probably has at least another 20 years in it.
97 Points Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Museum Release. The display of 14 gold medals and seven trophies on the bottle borders on the vulgar, however richly it deserves this haul. It is still a pale, bright green, and the lemon/mineral flavours are exceptionally fresh and vibrant, lingering for minutes on the finish and aftertaste; a freak wine that will live as long as any red wine of similar age.
97 Points James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
A glossy Vat 1, a late 'Winemaker's Selection' release, smelling like glazed quince, cantaloupe and vanilla bean, despite the absolute lack of oak. A more generous iteration, despite its light body. A waxy and ample spread across a bumptious feeling mid-palate. The acidity, a tad disjointed. A jitterbug. A little jangly. A tad short, to be hypercritical, but this is a Vat 1 that can be breached without feeling any guilt.
94 Points Ned Godwin MW, jamessuckling.com
3rd Course
Estate Grown Shiraz 2022, Our Price $37
Such a good entry-level wine: strongly regional, plump, mid-weighted, juicy and inimitable, in the best sense. But so easy and approachable and swiggable and dangerous. Damn! Terracotta earthenware, Hunter turf. Boysenberry, a hint of forestry and purple florals, with a smudge of maraschino cherry at the edges. The finish, a meander across a sweet glade of fruit, with a pucker of welcoming tannin at the finish. Drinks like Cru Beaujolais. Drink lustily or hold briefly.
92 Points Ned Godwin MW, jamessuckling.com
4th Course
Vat 9 Shiraz 2021, Our Price $120
Created in 1962 by the late Murray Tyrrell, and I had became well aware of it by the mid-1960s as my weekend trips to the Hunter became more frequent. The fruit for Vat 9 is hand picked from the best parcels off ancient red clay soils over limestone with a minimum age of 50 years. The wine overflows with lively, spicy fruits that dance in the mouth as the oak joins in the savoury core, reflecting the maturation in 'mostly newer' oak for the usual 14 months. There also appears to be some whole bunches involved.
96 Points James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
The 2021 Vat 9 Hunter Shiraz is everything we want and expect from quality Hunter Valley Shiraz: medium-bodied, mineral, elegant, saturated with red fruit flavor and layered with exotic spice. The tannins are key to enjoyment here; they are very fine, ductile, almost whippy in shape and texture and show such extreme elegance that one cannot imagine what more one could want from tannins. They serve the fruit perfectly. This will only get better. And better. And better.
95+ Points Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate
The Deep-ish red with a good tint of purple and a reserved bouquet that showcases dusty/earthy/terracotta and tar aromas, the palate powerful yet soft and fleshy, the tannins svelte and smooth, with good extract and roundness. Sweet fruit core. Easy to enjoy already and will age long and productively. Wine Advocate
95 Points Huon Hooke, The Real Review
A juicy and fruity shiraz with plums, ripe strawberries and undertones of sliced red meat, terra cotta and orange peel. Medium to full body, creamy tannins and a savory finish. Lovely intensity of fruit and focus. Drink or hold.
94 Points James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
Vat 9 Shiraz 2019, Our Price $130
A reversion to delicacy. An homage to a noble past of sappy, savoury Hunter Burgundy, as it was once known. With this, there has been an adoption of larger-format oak, less agitation, and with that, superior tannin management. The result, sappy, floral, detailed and dangerously drinkable. Violet, dark cherry, clove, licorice straps and a sachet of spice. Yet the texture is the totem. And it is sumptuous.
95 Points Ned Godwin MW, Halliday Wine Companion
Impressive intensity here, this has very expressive red-cherry, red-plum, chocolate and spice notes in a very primary, pure mode. The palate offers a fresh red-fruit core, some darker notes, too, and attractive freshness, which is a hallmark of the best 2019 wines. Right on form here.
95 Points James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
Bright red-purple colour; slightly sweaty aromas, clean leather, fruit driven, the palate elegant and finely boned, elegant, stylish, very drinkable. A medium bodied shiraz with lovely balance.
94 Points Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Vat 9 Shiraz 2017, Our Price $146
Hand-picked, open-fermented, matured in new and 1yo 2700l French casks for 15 months. This is opulent and rich, bringing back memories of '59, '61, '65 and ;66 ('65 the standout). The black fruits are wrapped in velvet, the oak and tannins watching on enviously. A wonderful wine with its own part of history.
97 Points James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
This wine has a magnificent aroma; concentrated yet complex. I love the bright, intense raspberry, red plum and red mulberry notes, plus the slight roasted meat nuances, which add depth and interest. It is a pure and focused, medium-bodied wine with careful tailoring. Juicy and vibrant. Love it
96 Points Toni Paterson, The Real Review
Wonderfully fresh aromatics such as crushed violets, dragon fruit, elderberries, rosewater and citrus. Medium to full body with fine, beautiful acidity runing through the impressively polished tannins. While the floral flavors dominate, this isn’t short on delicious blue fruits. It finishes long, tangy and chewy. Drink in 2020 and way beyond.
95 Points James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
5th Course
Johnno’s Shiraz 2022, Our Price $193
Firmer, more muscular and a wee bit darker than the 4 Acres, the 2022 Johnno's Shiraz hails from the eponymous vineyard, planted in 1908 on sandy alluvial soils. The style here is a slight shift sideways from the 4 Acres (no surprise given the differing vineyards), and here, we see clarity of fruit akin to a glass-bottom boat. There are notes of redcurrant and pomegranate, raspberry and red apple skin. This is superb. It's a matter of preference, and I believe I myself preferred the 4 Acres last year: the beauty of single-vineyard offerings is the seasonal variation—we observe what the vines are capable of each passing year. The clarity and poise of the fruit is just so appealing, so attractive. The tannins give depth and gravitas to the otherwise ethereal fruit, making for a glass of wine that offers both sides of the coin... pleasure and seriousness. This matured in new French oak cask for 14 months. 3,600 bottles filled. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
96+ Points, Erin Larkin, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate
Johnno's Vineyard, named after fifth-generation family member John Tyrrell, is sourced from 0.7 ha of vines grown on an alluvial, sandy loam plot located towards the rear of the Tyrrell's Ashmans property. It is an aromatically engaging wine with deep cherry and dark plum tones. The mid-palate is fruit-focused, rounded, open-textured and supple with warming spice detail. The length is impressive, and the refreshing acidity draws the wine to a memorable close.
97 Points, Toni Paterson, winecompanion.com.au
Bright purple colour with a nose of charry/sooty earthiness, tar and a trace of pepper too. There is intense, focused flavour on the mid-palate, which is elegant and compact, the tannins measured and firm, the persistence long. A wine of great potential. 29 JUL 20
95 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
4 Acre Shiraz 2022, Our Price $195
The 2022 4 Acres Shiraz is unbelievably aromatic, with red berries in profusion, black tea, iodine, copper, clove, cardamom, sumac and caper brine. In the mouth, the fruit and the tannins flow as one across the palate. This has a febrile nature to it, and I am feeling that with the 2022s here today: elegant, fine, lithe, red fruited and a little nervous. I like that. They display enormous length through the finish, so the restraint looks all the more exciting. There are notes of nettles, star anise, clove, white tea, jasmine flowers, blond tobacco and plum skin acidity. This is super svelte. It's exciting to drink Shiraz that exhibits this much power and restraint in a single throw. It's like standing in the sun on a cold winter's day—it's nourishing. 3,333 bottles filled. The 4 Acres vineyard was planted in 1879 on deep red clay soils over limestone. It matured in a single, three-year-old French oak cask for 14 months. 13.3% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
97 Points, Erin Larkin, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate
A truly superb shiraz, in classic medium bodied Hunter style, oak almost invisible, the fruit doing all the talking. And the terroir: it is earthy, smoky/coaldusty and savoury, but with a profound core of sweet ripe fruit. Superfine tannins. The complexity of the wine holds the attention to the last drop and the elegance is just so impressive. 30 APR 2024
2024–2042
97 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Deep-ish purple-red colour, red fruits and blackberry to sniff, laced with pepper, an almost bunchy kind of herbal note, the palate light-medium weight and soft textured, fine and subtle, a less power-packed iteration of Hunter shiraz, very much a fruit-driven wine but far from simple: there are the coal-dust/tarry nuances of the regional style. Medium bodied elegance and gentle, light tannins. Very approachable now. 29 JUL 2023
2024–2042
95 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
8 Acre Shiraz 2022, Our Price $198
This year, the 2022 8 Acres Shiraz seems to me to be the synthesis of 4 Acres and Johnno's. It has the supple, persistent drive of 4 Acres and the structure and filling of Johnno's. Together, they sing. This is excellent. It is supple, herbal, leafy and spicy, with notes of roses, tobacco, jasmine, lavender, black tea, peppercorns (pink and black and a few Sichuan), pomegranate, raspberry, iodine and blood plum. It is gorgeous, exciting, affirming. The 8 Acres vineyard was planted in 1892 on deep red clay soils over limestone. This was matured in a single three-year-old French oak cask for 14 months. 3,333 bottles filled. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
98 Points, Erin Larkin, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate
Planted in 1892, this 'sacred site' produces a mesmerising, contemplative wine that will reward the patient. The fruit, sourced from north-south facing vines, is slightly deeper and darker in character than '4 Acres', with the flavours sitting in the cherry and mulberry spectrum, though still with a red berry overlay. Despite coming from the second oldest vineyard on the Tyrrell's Ashmans property, it is a thoroughly modern style. There's an engaging purity, concentration and succulence on the mid-palate, which unabashedly hooks one's interest, plus a fine, long, silky finish that will have you coming back for more.
97 Points, Toni Paterson, winecompanion.com.au
"Crunchy, brambly and brimming with summer-berry pudding accents, drawn taut by a chord of finely sewn tannins. This is the only wine of the 'Sacred Sites' that is inoculated. A more generous wine than the 4 Acres and easier to love, if not slightly less refined. Mid-weighted, but ever more forceful and kinetic across the mid-drift to the long finish, despite its definitive Hunter mid-weight. Drink or hold. Screw cap."
96 Points and Top 100 Wines of Australia 2023, Goodwin MW, JamesSuckling.com
"I include a couple of these in my standing order. I really like the 8A style. Vineyard planted in 1892. Ripe dark raspberry, perfume of roses, some spice, a little new leather. Good volume, pretty red fruits, a bit juicy too, bright acidity sits well in the wine, and there’s a gently chalky and creamy finish of substantial length, and it’s the flow and length that really mark it out as a top wine. Drink: 2025-2039+."
95+ Points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
6th Course