In 1971, Murray Tyrrell made the first widely available chardonnay-semillon blend in Australia. It was a sensation. The appreciative wine-lovers of the nation beat a path to the door of his cellar in the Hunter Valley.
Since then, hundreds of vintners in every region of the country have planted thousands of hectares of chardonnay grapes. The dry continent seems awash with various versions of the wine, in every hue from the most pale yellow to the richest buttery gold.
Mr Tyrrell, guru of the upper Hunter Valley, still makes a wide selection of chardonnay types. Of those available in Hong Kong (imported by Remy, fax: 2877-2476) there is the Long Flat chardonnay semillon, which is closest in style and heart to the wine he pioneered. It sells here at $74 in a shop or $64 - including delivery - by the case.
Tyrrells labels also appear on the Moore's Creek chardonnay ($85) and the Old Winery range ($114). There is also a top-of-the-line Moon Mountain Tyrrells chardonnay with the 95-96 now on sale at $191.
This is a most elegant drop. The bottles are numbered as a mark of rarity and prestige, and I plunged the corkscrew into number 15,129. The aroma is a nicely balanced mix with a soft herbal touch. The colour is a pleasing gold with green highlights. It tastes delightful, with plenty of fruit but no unwanted sweetness.
Mr Tyrrell says this will last until 2002; not with me around and a corkscrew handy.
Like many big wine firms with a conscience, Tyrrells has a policy of making enormous quantities of its large-selling popular and less expensive wines (the Long Flat range in their case) and then smaller amounts of premium vintages.