Established in 1858 by English immigrant Edward Tyrrell, Tyrrell’s Wines is one of Australia’s pre-eminent family owned wine companies with vineyards extending from their historic home in the Hunter Valley to the Limestone Coast (SA) and Heathcote (VIC). Headed up by fourth generation family member Bruce Tyrrell, Tyrrell’s is home to some of Australia’s most awarded wines including the iconic Vat 1 Semillon. Since 1971, Tyrrell’s has been awarded over 5,000 trophies and medals and in 2010 was named “Winery of the Year” in James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion. With the fifth generation, Chris, Jane and John, involved in the business, Tyrrell’s will continue to remain family owned with the simple philosophy of producing high quality wine that people love to drink.

I need to turn the music down. Take a breath. Strap in for a fidelitous ride across the ebbs and flows of Hunter regality, when I taste this suite of semillon. The top drawer, with few peers. Belford, a little more reticent and stonier than its Stevens brethren. Talc, wet pebbles strewn across a stream, lemongrass and citrus balm. But the texture, the opus. Still in need of time. Taut, linear and of pixelated detail and precision. Wait with bated breath. Date: Dec 2021; Alcohol: 11%; Drink by: 2030; Rating: 97 Points; Ned Goodwin MW; James Halliday Wine Companion

Belford is a great vineyard, and the wines have a distinct personality. White peach, lemon, a little talc-like perfume. Powerful and coiled up, but a big mid-palate hit, almost succulent, then onto a roaring finish of superb length, with powdery texture trailing in its wake. Clarity. Intensity. Sails through the mouth. Classic Belford. Tasted: July 2017; Closure: Screwcap; Drink: 2018-2037+; Rated: 96+ Points; Gary Walsh; The Wine Front

Light, bright yellow hue with an intense lemony/Sunlight Soap aroma, some green-herb nuances in the background, while the taste is light-bodied and crisply cut, delicate and balanced with a medium length finish. The immediate drinking qualities are outstanding. A refined and intense semillon, young for its years. Rating: 96 Points; Huon Hooke