From the distinguished Stevens family Old Hillside property at Pokolbin. The site, established 1867, may contain the oldest productive vines in Hunter Valley. Vintage is one of the earliest and shortest in Australia, yields are very low and there is an inexplicable affinity between the terroir and style of Shiraz which has brought Hunter Valley so much international renown. The small, dehydrated, ultra ripe berries, characterized by lifted levels of natural fruit sugar and toughened skins, are little treasure chests of graceful flavours and light but luscious tanins.

Tyrrell's single vineyard efforts are branded under the name of the site and are only ever bottled if the quality of vintage merits the long standing reputation of the wine. These limited editions are made to capture the nuances of growing season as it influences the fruit. The ancient vines on Old Hillside Vineyard at Pokolbin are planted to purple unochred clay loams, yielding a mere two and a half to three tonnes per acre. All grapes are hand picked and destemmed into traditional open vats for fermentation, hand plunging, pumpovers and frequent rack returns. Upon completion, batches are transferred to a selection of new and seasoned oak barriques and 2800 litres oak vessels for fifteen months maturation.