2021 Tyrrell's Semillon Hunter Valley Australia 750 ml

Jancis Robinson has said, “Hunter Valley Semillon is one of Australia’s great gifts to the world of wine,” and you’ll understand why when you take your first sip of the 94-point 2021 Tyrrell’s Semillon Hunter Valley, a white wine that dazzles with youthful exuberance and a brisk acidity, and comes backed by Australian pedigree that is second to none.

“Tyrrell’s, the Hunter Valley, and Semillon are almost synonymous with each other,” opined leading Aussie critic James Halliday. “It is the purest example of terroir in the world.” Drawn from some of Tyrrell’s top vineyards, born from grapes raised in hot, sandy, dry-farmed plots, this 2021 Semillon has a broad, fleshy texture and a mineral-toned persistence that will thrill fans of glimmering white wines like Riesling and Loire Sauvignon Blanc. 

If you want to understand what it takes to be an inaugural member of Australia’s First Families of Wine AND an illustrious five-star estate in Halliday’s book, Tyrrell’s history says it all. Dating back to 1858, when Edward Tyrrell first began planting vineyards, the property is home to some of the oldest and rarest pre-phylloxera vines in the world.

Today, with fifth-generation winemaker Chris Tyrrell at the helm, this 2021 Hunter Valley Semillon represents the classic introduction to what the area can achieve with the grape. Grown from vines that average 40 years of age, matured in nothing but stainless steel, and given just enough time on the lees to round out the mouthfeel, this brilliantly terroir-transparent effort leaves the winemaker no room to hide: Either you get it done in the vineyard, or you don’t—and Chris and the team knocked it out of the park.