Tyrrell's VAT 1 Semillon 2017

The 2017 Vat 1 Semillon represents an excellent Semillon vintage in the Hunter Valley, and it is here that we start to see the majesty of aged Semillon begin to unfold. Sun-drenched hay, caper brine, wisps of black tea, crushed shells, a whiff of Szechuan peppercorn, lemongrass, green apples and cold buttered toast. In the mouth, the wine is texturally silky (with a weighty fall, like heavy gauge silk) and lingering. It moves with momentum rather than outright speed (like watching a whale shark swim: they might move slowly, but they swim fast), and it has a clarity and freshness in the mouth that is astounding. This is a super wine, an evocative wine, an imaginative wine. It's a wine on the up, with miles to go before it sleeps...Rating: 97+

While I enjoy the open-knit approaches to crafting semillon across the region, this remains the bulletproof benchmark. Even here, there have been endeavours toward greater accessibility, with some lees inflection. A meld of the finest dry-grown plots conferring a carapace of talc, sandy mineral and effusive acidity that is, to be frank, indomitable. Descriptives, ineffable. The length, justifiable. Buy this.

2017 was hailed as a great vintage in the Hunter Valley, but it was also hot and dry, so this is a richer, more advanced bottling than the previous vintage. Lucid and concentrated, it's unmistakably Hunter Sem, with its woolly, beeswax, lemon pith and lamp oil appeal. A mineral, flinty note adds interest. There's a laser-like line of acidity on the slippery palate and a flavor richness that flows to the long finish.

A later-released iteration, dubbed 'Winemaker's Selection'. A wondrous nose of buttered milk toast, a lick of lime brulee, nashi pear, wet pebble stone and yellow plum. A looser knit, warmer expression. Lightweight analytically, but more plump and medium-bodied of feel, nigh on hitting its optimal straps. A sublime, warmer vintage expression in the prime of its life.