Ross Bathgate

9.4

Awesome cork so wine showing its best. Still rich and vibrant with lovely tertiary cabernet characters — a day ago

Thomas Hillskog

9.0

Still fresh and fruity with with typical, complex maturity flavours. — 3 months ago

Matthew Doty

8.9

2023 vintage via a Costco CA sample-4-pack. Fine, but wouldn’t buy again. Too fruity for me. — 5 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.5

Tyrrell’s — Vat 1 Semillon 2018
Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia 🇦🇺

Overview
A benchmark, 100% Semillon from one of Australia’s most historic producers, crafted from old vines in the Hunter Valley, a region globally revered for producing age-worthy, low-alcohol, high-acid Semillon of extraordinary precision and longevity. This cuvée captures purity, tension, and evolution in perfect balance, expressing both site transparency and classic Tyrrell’s restraint.

Aromas & Flavors
Lifted citrus blossom, lemon curd, kaffir lime, and delicate white florals lead the aromatics. Subtle layers of green apple skin, preserved lemon, and faint tropical notes emerge with air. Underneath, a gentle mineral thread, wet stone and crushed river rock, adds depth and quiet complexity without overpowering the fruit.

Mouthfeel
Silky, finely textured, and beautifully tension-driven. Creamy without weight, with linear acidity carrying the wine effortlessly across the palate. The structure feels energetic and precise, offering freshness, elegance, and remarkable drinkability without richness or heaviness.

Food Pairings
Oysters with citrus mignonette. Grilled prawns with lemon butter. Poached halibut with herbs. Sushi and sashimi. Fresh chèvre or lightly aged goat cheese.

Verdict
An exceptional example of New World Semillon executed with Old World discipline. Elegant, mineral-driven, and quietly powerful, this wine delivers layered complexity while remaining feather-light on its feet. A timeless style that continues to reward both immediate pleasure and long-term cellaring.

Did You Know?
Hunter Valley Semillon is famous for being bottled young at low alcohol and evolving dramatically with age, developing toast, honey, and lanolin complexity over decades while maintaining razor-sharp acidity. Tyrrell’s Vat Semillon wines have been among Australia’s most collectible and ageworthy whites for generations.

🍷 Personal Pick
Pure nostalgia in a glass. This wine reconnects me with the region that sparked my early love for Australian whites, refined, disciplined, expressive, and endlessly drinkable. A masterclass in tension, restraint, and terroir clarity. This is Semillon at its highest form. — 5 months ago

Bruce Dunbar

9.1

A beautiful blend that somehow shows each element while being nicely integrated. Rich, round, Semillon and bright, floral and citrusy Sauvignon Blanc. Highly age-worthy — 9 months ago

Mark S.

9.1

Oak, lime like herb in aroma. Rich, citrus, white flowers. Citrus, comfortable acidity. Each factor in the taste is showing the feature clearly. From Hunter valley which is an initial place for wine in Australia. Vat 47 Hunter Chardonnay Tyrrell’s 2018 @7546, Toscany JH, 231028-231111 — 3 years ago

David Menkes

9.5

Oooo…buttery - amazing balance. And can’t beat the price! $15 — 4 years ago

Mark S.

9.1

Deep yellow. High viscosity. Aged. Oak vanilla caramel.
Fruitiness M+ Sweetness M Acidity M Bitterness M Body M Finish M %
Fresh Rich Château Cos d'Estournel Borrdeaux Blanc 13 @6000, Fred, 260619 — 10 days ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.3

vintage 2021 | 65 sauvignon 35 semillon | Refinement, very precise, lemon (no sauvignon domination) | paired with ray wing | at Bitterpeeën in Antwerpen — 2 months ago

Jeremiah Diaz

9.4

Clear, medium ruby in color; on the nose, it's clean with pronounced intensity primary and secondary aromas of black cherries, red plums, raspberries, and dried herbs; on the palate, it's dry with high acidity, high tannins, medium alcohol, full body, and pronounced intensity primary and secondary flavors of red currants, cherries, blueberries, black currant, and clay pots with a long finish. This wine is complex and intense. Overall, I rate this wine as very good. — 5 months ago

with Nellie

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.3

Brilliant sunshot yellow with bright lemon custard cream notes… 11% abv silky smoothen round weightless palate of lemon curd, honey, and lanolin. Rich, round, and woolly. God, I love aged Hunter Valley Semillon. All smiles for a Sunshine Coast Italian lunch. G’day from 85 degree Australia. — 6 months ago

Ross Bathgate

9.6

Magnificent! So fragrant and velvety, there is a good reason hunter Shiraz used to be called Burgundy. Fruit still vibrant with lovely tertiary characters. — 6 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.7

Blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc with 5% Semillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris, aged 50% new oak. Medium lemon color with aromas of stone and tropical fruits, citrus and blossom with spicy notes. On the palate flavors of peach, pear and pineapple with slight citrus and honeysuckle adding pepper spice. Long finish, balanced acidity, ending with a fruit, oak and chalky mineral spice character. Very good! Will age well! — a year ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Pale lemon with aromas of stone and citrus fruits with herb notes from young vines. On the palate flavors of lemon and peach with herb and honey notes. Lively acidity, medium+ finish ending with citrus and spice. Nice! — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Last bottles from a 6-pack. I had two bottles that were sadly riddled with EA, but the other four were sound.

This was one of the wines I served for my annual WWC hosting. All wines served blind.

65 semillon/ 34 Sauvignon Blanc/ 1 Muscadelle

Always love these, more so than most domestic Bordeaux Blanc style white wines, mostly because of the texture. Straw color in the glass. Quite the tropical aromatics (white peach, mango) but it’s not overpowering. The barrel ferment is apparent with the rounded profile on the palate…the vein of acidity that was there a few years ago is fading, so this showed even more opulent than normal. Honeyed lemon, guava, orange blossom but a backbone of sea salt and herbs snap the structure in place to show nice balance and a nod to Bordeaux. I’d recommend popping now and over the next couple years to enjoy the freshness. — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.4

“Ygrec” is basically a flip of the standard d’Yquem; typically somewhere around 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon. Traditionally, this dry version has only made in select vintages and the vines for Ygrec are selected prior to harvest and vary from vintage to vintage, typically before nobel rot takes place.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of 90 minutes. The 2018 pours a bright straw color with medium viscosity. On the nose, the wine is developing powerful notes of grapefruit, orange, Juicy Fruit, some varnish, fine subtle baking spices and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. An exciting Bordeaux Blanc that sizzles with energy and class. Absolutely baller stuff. Drink now through 2038. — 3 months ago

Audrey Irvine

10

Sipped at lunch with Zondwa and Lindo Mandela at The Nines restaurant in Capetown South Africa — 6 months ago

Ross Bathgate

9.3

Paired with duck and absolutely perfect. So soft with sweet fruit still evident and such soft dusty tannins. Lovely. — 6 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

See previous Delectable note in December 2024. Amazingly pale for a 14 year old white. Aromatics of lemon, lanolin and wet straw. It hasn’t yet developed the toasty characters I was expecting, indicating still a long life ahead. Overall this is delicate on a light bodied leanish palate. Only 11% ABV. Lovers of big buttery Chardonnay may not appreciate this wine. 3 bottles left - I will try and have the next one in 12 to 18 months. — 9 months ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.0

#semillon tart. Interesting #australia #huntervalley — 6 years ago