Tyrrell’s Vat 47 Chardonnay Hunter Valley – 2021

Vineyard
The five-hectare Short Flat Vineyard is located at an elevation of about 110 metres. The vineyard is a mosaic of vine ages, with the oldest blocks of Chardonnay dating back to 1968, while the youngest vines were planted in 2001. 

Vintage Conditions
The autumn and winter months of 2020 saw the worst drought in a generation be broken with substantial rainfall, which led into an outstanding growing season for the 2021 vintage. A cool summer then gave us even, stress-free ripening with some heat around Australia Day that was perfectly timed at the final stages of ripening. With an early budburst and later than normal harvesting, the fruit had a longer than normal hang time, which meant that all of the fruit had wonderful flavours balanced by a high natural acidity.

Winemaker’s Notes
Over the last ten days of January, all of the fruit was handpicked before immediately being basket-pressed. The juice was then cold settled for two days before being racked to another stainless-steel tank to begin fermentation. The fermenting juice was then transferred to French oak barriques to complete fermentation and maturation before bottling in early November.

Tasting Notes
The 2021 vintage marks the 50th release of Vat 47, Australia’s first Chardonnay. Vibrant green colour, the nose is delicate and perfectly balanced with citrus and white stone fruit with a hint of oak only that sits in the background. The palate is medium bodied and shows sweet Chardonnay fruit that is balanced by textural elements derived from the solids ferment and extended time on yeast lees. The purity, intensity, and length of fruit is what sets this vintage apart from others in recent times.

96/100pts James Halliday