A classic Hunter Valley Sémillon from another strong vintage. The nose is vibrant with an abundance of citrus fruits and floral elements. The palate is medium bodied, yet intense, with great length and a brisk acidity.
James Suckling: The opening act to a wonderful suite. Mostly HVD sourcing. Riffs on lemon grass, lime drop, pistachio husk, spa salts and nettle. Light-weighted and effusive of freshness. A little more open-knit and herbaceous, pungent and bright, than the more reticent wines of the upper tier. All the better for breaching earlier. A drape of subtle sweetness across the finish. Delicious.
Robert Parker: The 2023 Sémillon is a triumph. It's tight, austere, fleshy and fine, with crushed shells, pineapple husk, green apples, layers of saline acidity and very, very fine phenolics. This is a sleek wine made for drinking now. And what pleasure it delivers; a more perfect summer wine may not exist. Look no further than Hunter Valley Sémillon.
James Suckling: The opening act to a wonderful suite. Mostly HVD sourcing. Riffs on lemon grass, lime drop, pistachio husk, spa salts and nettle. Light-weighted and effusive of freshness. A little more open-knit and herbaceous, pungent and bright, than the more reticent wines of the upper tier. All the better for breaching earlier. A drape of subtle sweetness across the finish. Delicious.
Robert Parker: The 2023 Sémillon is a triumph. It's tight, austere, fleshy and fine, with crushed shells, pineapple husk, green apples, layers of saline acidity and very, very fine phenolics. This is a sleek wine made for drinking now. And what pleasure it delivers; a more perfect summer wine may not exist. Look no further than Hunter Valley Sémillon.
The grapes were machine picked in the cool of the night before gentle pressing and fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The wine then spent a short amount of time on yeast lees to gain extra complexity and mouth feel.
Winemaker: Andrew Spinaze, Mark Richardson and Chris Tyrrell
Winemaker: Andrew Spinaze, Mark Richardson and Chris Tyrrell
Having been spared the phylloxera epidemic that wiped out the great vineyards of Europe in the 19th century, the Hunter Valley is home to some of the oldest vineyards in the world. Within the boundaries of the region, it boasts some of the most unique pockets of vineyard land in Australia. Bruce Tyrrell has identified a selection of these “sacred sites” for their ability to produce fruit that is “so good and so different” they warrant individual bottling. These “sacred sites” consist of six blocks (one chardonnay, two sémillon, and three shiraz) that are over 100 years old, and still producing and growing on their own roots. These represent some of the rarest vines in the world and they most probably have their origins in the Busby Collection – a selection of some 433 grapevine cuttings from Europe that were originally planted in the Hunter Valley in the 1800s.
