With an average vine age of 66 years, Vat 9 2016 is a blend of the 1892 8 Acres block, 1968 Contour block, and 1968 Weinkellar east block. All these blocks are dry grown and feature similar soil types, red volcanic clay over limestone, which is ideal for super premium Hunter Valley Shiraz

A concentrated and complex wine with dark choclate, liquorice and spice aromas and flavours accentuated by nutty oak from barrel maturation.

Released with bottle age this is a wine which will still continue to evolve over many years the toasty lemony flavours becoming richer and more intense. A classic benchmark Hunter Semillon, it has earned its place in the Langtons Classification of Australian Wine.

The grapes for this wine come from the Belford vineyard owned by the Elliott family, situated 15km north/north-west of the Tyrrells winery. The grapes were handpicked then lightly crushed before a relatively cool fermentation in stainless steel. After a short period on gross lees, the wine was racked and left to mature in stainless steel until bottling. The last of the semillon picked, this wine has a fuller palate commonly associated with the Belford vineyard, with great fruit intensity and a slightly higher acid intensity than normal years due to the cooler growing conditions.

'We are tasting the Tyrrell's 2006 Vat 1 semillon, a Hunter Valley wine which, at sevenyears old, is still a juvenile, easily capable of another decade of good drinking. Its longevity is at the very heart of what makes it so astounding. To think of it as a one-year-old is a different story: gangly, acid, water and neutral flavour, not astounding. Vat 1 also shows us you don't have to pay big dollars for greatness.' - Canberra Times, Jeni Port, 10 Apr 2013. Extract from 'What makes a great wine?'

Stylish Shiraz with dusty tannins and brooding berries. This wine displays sweet, plump fruit with a touch of white pepper on the nose. A seductive savoury style that matches nicely to lamb, pork and beef dishes.

The grapesfor this wine were picked from our 40 year old vines grown in the volcanic soilof the ancient Fordwich Sill. These low yielding mature vines produce ripe, concentrated fruitwhich results in a wine with excellent regional and varietal characters.

A wonderful example of Hunter Shiraz. Ripe berries and spice with a touch of leather on the nose and a beautifully integrated palate showing plenty of juicy fruit flavour in a subtle well balanced style.