Hunter Valley
The 3,000-hectare Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest viticultural area, with the Hunter Valley Vineyard Association (HVVA) dating back to 1847. Located inland from Newcastle in New South Wales, the region’s loamy vineyards are located at between 100 and 240 metres above sea level. Sémillon and Shiraz are favoured, the finest Sémillon having an almost limey, hay-like purity.
Learn more about Hunter Valley
The 3,000-hectare Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest viticultural area. Located inland from Newcastle in New South Wales, bordering Mudgee to the west, the region was built not on gold but coal in the late 18th century; the Hunter Valley Vineyard Association (HVVA) was founded in 1847. Depression followed until the red wine boom of the 1960s and 1970s, even if it was Murray Tyrrell’s Chardonnay wines that proved the most successful.
The region’s loamy vineyards are located at between 100 and 240 metres above sea level. The warm to hot sub-humid climate makes rot an issue. Sémillon (often at circa 11 percent ABV) and Shiraz are favoured. The finest Sémillon should have an almost limey, hay-like purity.
Recommended producers: Brokenwood, Tyrrell’s and Molly Morgan
The palate is unctuous whilst still being refreshing and certainly mouth-filling, with a tiny hint of butter. Terrific structure and balance. Perfect either for chicken dishes in rich sauces such as mushroom, or to contrast with highly aromatic and spicy flavoured salads.
Rebecca Lamont, Head of Wine School, February 2013
No one else makes dry Semillon like they do in the Hunter Valley. With the advantage of some of the world’s oldest vines and a unique climate (warm but cloudy) which allows the grapes to reach full flavour ripeness at only 11-12% potential alcohol, these wines are austere and closed in their youth, yet over the course of 1-2 decades they develop astonishingly. Complex flavours of toast and butter belie the wines’ 100% stainless steel fermentation and ageing, and nowhere is the ‘waxy’ and ‘lanolin’ character of the Semillon grape more obviously evidenced. A truly world-class and unique wine style.
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Stuart Rae, Private Account Manager
The 2014 is stunning, an very interesting, Riesling-esque nose, with similarities to great Chenin Blanc. Wonderful texture on the palate, rich, full-bodied , rounded and crisp. This is of course still very young, but gives great pleasure even now. Probably the best Hunter Valley Semillon I have ever tasted.
Chris Pollington, Private Account Manager
A pioneer of the Hunter Valley – Tyrrell’s wines, a by-word for the highest quality and age worthy Semillon. Today Tyrrell’s still sets the benchmark for this region, producing not just Semillons, but Chardonnays and Shirazes that are amongst the best if not the finest in the Hunter when their vineyards and the vintage align. Focus at Tyrrell’s has returned to producing middle range to premium wines and the increased emphasis on quality is evident in their recent releases.