Tyrrell's is the Hunter Valley's oldest family-owned winery, established in 1858 and still run by the Tyrrell family across five generations. The cellar door at Broke Road, Pokolbin, sits in the original homestead area surrounded by the heritage vines that have made the winery's reputation. The Vat series of single-vineyard wines — particularly Vat 1 Semillon and Vat 9 Shiraz — represent the pinnacle of Hunter Valley winemaking.
The cellar door experience at Tyrrell's is more traditional and less designed than some of the newer operations in the valley, which is part of its charm. The tasting room has history; the guides know the wines and the stories behind them. A visit here is probably the most instructive single stop in the Hunter for understanding what makes the valley's wines distinctive.