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Thomas Wines

Grace and Flavour: Terrific New Semillons from a Hunter Great
Thomas Wines
With spring comes Semillon. The 2024 season went by in a flash, and the wines are raring to go. Andrew Thomas can't recall an earlier harvest in his four decades making wine in the Hunter Valley. “It was a season to hold your nerve and wait for the flavour,” he told us. “Our focus is on flavour and acidity. After so many years in the valley, we’ve dialled in the picking dates; we wait until the fruit pushes through the herbal spectrum into vibrant, delicious citrus.” Windy weather at flowering meant crops were down by 40% in 2024, but Thomas couldn’t be happier with fruit quality and these fresh, vibrantly structured Semillons.

Andrew cemented his reputation long ago as one of the Hunter’s great producers, yet his standing continues to rise. The 2024 vintage marks the 25th edition of Braemore, his flagship Semillon. The Cellar Reserve from this iconic vineyard, released after six years in bottle, has just been awarded Three Merit status in The Real Review Wine Classification of Australia. This places it in prestigious company alongside Giaconda Chardonnay, Mount Mary Quintet and Wendouree Shiraz. The only other Semillon to hold this rank is Tyrrell’s Vat 1.

Thomas has been extolling the virtues of young Hunter Valley Semillon for years. “People should rediscover the beauty of Hunter Semillon in its youth,” he told us. “These 2024s have so much brightness and early appeal; they show you don’t have to age Hunter Semillon to enjoy it.” Alongside the 2024 Braemore and Fordwich Semillons, we’re also releasing the 2018 Braemore Cellar Reserve. From a similar warm and dry season, a stylistic comparison can be drawn between the two wines. They’re a fascinating pair–broad-shouldered and powerful, with beautiful freshness, fine detail and striking, ageworthy structure.

The Wines

Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon 2024

Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon 2024

Braemore Vineyard, planted in 1969, is among the best in the valley. It sits in the Hunter Semillon dress circle on the sandy alluvial flats of Hermitage Road, Pokolbin. Thomas is one of about 12 producers, including Tyrrell’s, on this narrow, two-kilometre strip of ‘Grand Cru’ Semillon soil. Once an ancient sea floor, the deep, sandy loam is free-draining, allowing the roots to dig deep. The site is renowned for producing some of the finest examples of classic Hunter Valley Semillon and is particularly famed for remarkable longevity. “The thing that sets Braemore apart, what gives it its longevity, is that extra level of intensity and concentration that comes from Semillon grown on this kind of soil,” Andrew told us.

The various blocks within Braemore Vineyard were handpicked in February. Each batch was meticulously hand-sorted to ensure only the very best fruit went through for pressing as whole bunches to minimise phenolic extraction. After fermentation, the wine spent a few weeks on lees before bottling.

Vivid, pristine and pure, this screams quality from the first sniff. The 2024 shimmers with citrus and white flowers, underpinned by a mouthwatering mineral line. It’s a delightful nerve ball, crackling with energy and layered with complexity.

“Steel shavings, Meyer lemons and bayleaf aromas on the nose don't prepare you for the intense laser beam of flavours on the palate: it's an overload. Still youthful and tight, so tuck it away—it's a perfect candidate for ageing and once it emerges from its chrysalis it will repay you tenfold. Salivating acidity to finish with some nice chewy phenolics.”
93 points, Gabrielle Poy, The Real Review
Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon 2024
Thomas Wines Fordwich Hill Semillon 2024

Thomas Wines Fordwich Hill Semillon 2024

This single-vineyard Semillon is drawn from Fordwich Hill Vineyard on the western fringe of the Lower Hunter Valley. This area experiences slightly lower annual rainfall than the rest of the region. Thomas usually favours lighter soils for Semillon, but Fordwich is an exception with its rich, deep, volcanic red soils flecked with ironstone. Thomas also leaves the fruit on the vine for longer, meaning the style is riper and more generous. The fruit fermented in stainless steel and spent a few weeks on lees before being bottled. The 2024 pours star-bright, and the purity continues from there. Juicy, citrusy and charged with mineral depth, there’s fleshy weight and some lovely richness. A come-and-get-me wine.

“Barley sugar, lemon blossom and freshly cut grass entice on the nose. It's a finely styled wine; flavours of preserved lemon mix with fennel, hazelnut and herbal notes on the palate. There's an extra factor in terms of flavour and texture that you don't often see in young semillon. Great potenial to age too due to its intensity and depth.”
89 points, Gabrielle Poy, The Real Review
Thomas Wines Fordwich Hill Semillon 2024
Thomas Wines Cellar Reserve Braemore Semillon 2018

Thomas Wines Cellar Reserve Braemore Semillon 2018

Knowing his flagship Braemore Semillon gained such beauty and complexity with a few years in bottle, Andrew Thomas created the Cellar Release programme in 2001. A small portion of the vintage is held back for six years in bottle before release. “Braemore Semillon is like a spring that slowly unwinds over the years, revealing lovely light toast and hay characters,” Andrew explains. “The best vintages continue that trajectory for 15 years and more. After six years, the wine is hitting the first stage of development, and it’s a magical transformation.”

Planted in 1969, Braemore Vineyard sits on the sandy alluvial flats of Hermitage Road, Pokolbin. Once an ancient sea floor, the deep, sandy loam is free-draining, allowing the roots to dig deep. The site is renowned for producing some of the finest examples of classic Hunter Valley Semillon and is particularly famed for wines of remarkable longevity. Though at the start of its journey, it’s on the money right now, and it clearly has the legs to go another 10 or so years if you can find the patience.

"In true Braemore fashion, this cellar reserve wine has incredible intensity; 2018 was a hot, dry vintage, which accounts for the palate's generosity and the boldness of the fruit. You'll find honey, a touch of sweet melon, juicy pineapple and ripe pear notes. Rather than being classical in style, it is weighty, concentrated, assertive and bursting with fruit. This is characterful Braemore with the volume turned up. Serve well chilled. A wine to drink and not hold."
94 points, Toni Patterson, Halliday Wine Companion
Thomas Wines Cellar Reserve Braemore Semillon 2018

“...these days clever winemakers, such as Andrew Thomas, are producing semillon that is so refined, soft, beautifully balanced and delicately fruity it is utterly delicious drinking within a few months of harvest.” Huon Hooke, Good Weekend Magazine



“Braemore Semillon is one of the iconic wines of the Hunter Valley. Although delicious in its youth, age reveals the true magic of the Braemore site. It is one of Australia’s best value ‘fine wines’ and an absolute bargain in the broader wine world.” Toni Patterson MW, Gourmet Traveller Wine



“Andrew Thomas is actually re-inventing Hunter Valley Semillon. He's developing more complexity, minerality and texture in his young wines without sacrificing any of the styled notes longevity...” Jeremy Oliver, On Australian Wine

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