Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon, Hunter Valley

Description

Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon was first produced in 1963 and is made from 100% Semillon grapes sourced entirely from the best old vine, dry-grown vineyards. It is widely considered Australia’s best Semillon and arguably one of the best in the world. Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon is a unique and a true expression of Hunter terroir and, according to Jancis Robinson, Semillon is Australia’s “unique gift to the world”.

Tyrrells wines was founded by Edward Tyrrell in 1858 and, since then, it has grown into one of the largest and most prestigious wine companies in Australia. From a base of 60 acres of vines in the Hunter Valley, the estate has grown to 900 acres of premium vineyards in Limestone Coast, McLaren Vale in South Australia and the Heathcote region in Victoria. Today Tyrrells wines is in the hands of 4th generation owner Bruce Tyrrell and his family who continue to produce top quality wines and build on the success of their forebears.

The grapes for the Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon are normally sourced from Tyrrell’s Short Flat, the oldest block planted here was in 1923. Some vintages include grapes from Johnno’s vineyard which sits just below the winery itself. These are dry grown vineyards, dating back to 1908, and the vines are on their own roots. The vineyards have light, sandy, well-drained soils (alluvial sandy loam over limestone).

All the grapes are hand-harvested and sorted in the vineyard in the cool, early morning to ensure the fruit arrives in the best condition at the winery. The fruit is lightly crushed and pressed before a relatively cool fermentation. After fermentation, the wine spends a short time on gross lees before the wine is racked into stainless steel vats where it rests for 5 months before being bottled early to maintain its freshness. No oak fermentation or maturation.

One of Australia’s most awarded wines.

Why is it called VAT 1?

The name ‘vat’ drives from the still present large oak maturation vessels which were used by Tyrrell’s forebears. The number represents the cask in which that style of wine was originally fermented or matured.