Great value Hunter Chardonnay here. This 'little brother' is hot on the heels of Tyrrell's famed Vat 47 Chardonnay.
Rich and fresh with with great balance. The nose is lemon and citrus notes with a touch of oak and nuttiness. On the palate, there's good weight to the body with light creamy texture. Time in new and used French oak has added interesting complexity.
Recommended to drink now or over the next 3-4 years, this will pair well with chicken or pasta dishes.
Awards and Accolades
90 Points - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion "Matured in new and used French barriques. Quite how Tyrrell's can invest Hunter Valley chardonnay at this alcohol level with such fresh drive is doubtless secret Tyrrell's business, and more power to the winemaking team. What matters is the wine in the glass, standing ready to fulfil any role assigned to it, fruit and oak symbiotically entwined."
90 Points - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front "A new range from Tyrrell’s that sits below the Vat wines, but represents the Hunter Valley. Good branding and marketing. If were involved in such pursuits, it’s what I would have done myself. There’s a Semillon, a Shiraz and a Chardonnay. Peach, mixed citrus, gentle vanilla and cedar oak and some wheatgerm.Medium bodied, juicy fruit, but with some restraint, limey acidity offset with a dab of cream and almond. Good length. Acid freshens the aftertaste, but does not twang. This is nicely done: meets the modern and traditional schools of Hunter Chardonnay in the middle playground."
From the Winery
The ‘baby brother’ to our famous Vat 47 Chardonnay, our Hunter Valley Chardonnay is made to the same high standards that our flagship Chardonnay receives.
An almost perfect growing season was experienced for the 2014 vintage, one of the best in recent memory. This meant that all of the fruit we harvested was in pristine condition and had beautiful flavour.
Sourced from a small selection of our favourite Chardonnay blocks, the grapes were both hand and machine picked before gentle pressing and fermentation. The wine was matured in new and older French oak barriques, and spent all of this time on yeast lees to give the palate added complexity and texture.
Don't Pay: $23.00
WBW Rating: 91/100
Closure: Stelvin
Region: Hunter Valley, NSW
Winemaker: Bruce Tyrrell
Drink now until: 2020
Alc/Vol: 13.5 %