Tyrrell's Wines

Tyrrell's Wines is a leading Australian producer based in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, but with vineyards extending to the Limestone Coast in South Australia and Heathcote in Victoria. Unusually for a well-established Australian producer, it is best known for its Semillon and Chardonnay white wines, although it does make red wines from Shiraz.

Figures such as Dan Tyrrell (who oversaw 69 vintages until his death in 1959) and the larger-than-life Murray Tyrrell are some of the most important figures in the Australian wine industry, and the winery itself has been awarded over 5000 trophies since 1971. Murray Tyrrell is a champion of white wines in the Hunter Valley, and particularly Semillon – this is said to have been at least partly driven by his giving up smoking in 1970, which was said to have enhanced his tasting abilities with white wines but deadened his palate for reds. 

The company's standard bearer is its Vat 1 Semillon. This was first made in old oak in 1963, but since 1990 has been the archetype of the Hunter Valley style – fermented, settled, and blended in stainless steel before spending a couple of years aging in bottle. Murray Tyrrell regarded this as a wine for immediate release but his son Bruce established the ageworthy credentials of the wine by hiding 1000 cases of the 1989 vintage from his father in a corner of a warehouse and releasing them in 1996.

Tyrrell's has also gained worldwide acclaim for the Vat 47 Chardonnay, an early Australian attempt to use Burgundian methods, including new oak. It was initially regarded with dismay, gaining a mark of 6 out of 20 at the Brisbane Wine Show before going on to be one of the company's most famous wines. In addition, the Vat 6 Pinot Noir famously won best in show at the 1979 Wine Olympiad in Paris. The practice of using "Vat-Numbered" labels started in 1961 to denote single-vineyard wines, though it now includes multi-site blends.

The Tyrrell's Hunter Valley estate has several plots with vines that are over a hundred years old, which are used to make the Sacred Sites range. The HVD vineyard, planted in 1908, is believed to be the the world's oldest Chardonnay plot. In all, Tyrrell's now has 123 hectares (304 acres) in the Hunter Valley planted to Shiraz, Chardonnay, Semillon, Pinot Noir and Trebbiano. In Heathcote there are 26ha (65 acres) of Shiraz and Malbec, while the 16ha (40 acres) of Limestone Coast vines are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz.

Most of the company's top wines from outside the Hunter Valley are produced under the Rufus Stone label. This name refers to the death of King William II of England (William Rufus) who was allegedly killed in 1100 by an arrow fired by Sir Walter Tyrrell, an ancestor of the family. The Tyrrell's company history does not quite go back that far, but started when Edward Tyrrell moved from England in 1854, buying land in the Hunter Valley and founding the business four years later. Wine production commenced with the 1864 vintage, and the company is still family-owned.