2012 Tyrrells Vat 47 Chardonnay, Hunter Valley

Vat 47 is continued evolution in style towards a more delicate and textural Chardonnay.

Made in tiny volumes and produced using only the very best parcels of fruit from Tyrrells top vineyards, this wine showcase the very best that the Hunter Valley has to offer. Vat 47 is one of Australia’s oldest and most awarded wines.

The ‘vat’ stems from the still present large oak maturation vessels which were used by the Tyrrell’s forebears. And the number represents the cask in which that style of wine was originally fermented or matured.

The nose of 2012 Vat 47 shows delicate citrus and white stonefruit with a hint of oak and sulphide lift. The palate has the generosity of Chardonnay in a toned down form. The fruit is balanced well with the fresh acidity and slight textural element from extended time on yeast lees.

James Halliday:

Gleaming, full straw-green; shows the mastery Tyrrell's has with chardonnay, appropriate given its pioneer role with the Vat 47 '71. It is complex, textured and balanced, with stone fruit, fig and melon flavours to the fore, acidity tightening up and lengthening the finish.

Has three trophies and six golds to its credit.