Tyrrell's HVD Semillon 2019
Choosing the Five Way Cellars ‘Wine of the Year’ is a difficult task, but in 2025,
we’re very satisfied with our decision. Tyrrell’s HVD Semillon is an absolute mainstay at Five Way Cellars and is what dad calls his ‘boat wine’. On Friday afternoons when he takes off to go sailing, he’ll typically have a 6-pack of this under his arm for on-board drinking while
sailing around Sydney harbour. It’s caught-on too, with some of his sailing mates now emailing the store asking for “a case of Cookie’s boat wine”.
Of course it’s temping for us to award ‘Wine of the Year’ to something that is rarer or more expensive. Something that may be hard to find or something that we feel we are ‘ahead of the curve’ on. But that’s not the case with this wine, yet it’s still the most deserving winner this year. Of all Hunter Valley Semillon producers, Tyrrell’s is clearly the best in field. A family run business, an envious collection of vineyard holdings (with vine age going back to the 1850s) and a quality of wine that is remarkably high (particularly across Semillon and Shiraz) Tyrrell’s are no doubt one of the country’s best producers. Having drunk plenty of wine from the Tyrrell’s stable over the years, it’s clear that they’re built to age and certainly get better with age. Tyrrell’s themselves recognise this, hence the 2019 HVD Semillon – at 6.
years of age – is the current release. This is in a fantastic drinking window right now: A foot in the camp of citric freshness (lime leaf, lemon peel, lemon grass) and a foot in maturity (grilled lime, toasted nuts, a pinch of softness to the otherwise driving acid line).
It’s eminently drinkable but leaves an impression with every sip. The length creeps up on you, with your palate awash with flavours long after that last glass. It’s the type of wine to buy by the dozen: stick 6 away for another 5 years while drinking the other 6 over the summer ahead. In our experience, HVD Semillon is only a pinch behind Vat 1 in its cellaring potential and will easily live to 20 years old if you have the patience. Here's to an incredibly good wine not just in vintage 2019 but every year. HVD Semillon really is consistently one of the country’s best performing whites. It’s an Australian icon and an idiosyncratic gift from the Hunter Valley to the world of wine.
– Ches Cook, Five Way Cellars.
HVD, which stands for Hunter Valley Distillery, for those who don’t know, is most often one of my favourite wines from Tyrrells.
Ripe lemon and perfume, very fresh, light but with intensity and weight, more squeezed lime in the palate, powerful with grip on the finish, and super length. Mouth-watering crunch without the pain, you might say. All just so. A highlight from the 2019 release.95 pts, Gary Walsh, the Wine Front
The grapes are sourced from the sandy soils of the 'Sign Post' block of the HVD vineyard, planted in 1908. The wine displays a beautifully complete aroma, blending lemon butter, zest and lime cordial with a subtle hint of flint. The mid-palate bursts with mouth-filling citrus tones, while the lively acidity brightens and extends the palate.
94 pts, Toni Paterson, Halliday Wine Companion
