2023 Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon

Highly Rated
One of the Hunter Valley's most loved Semillons, a great each-way bet for drinking or cellaring.
5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
1 Review

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Description

Sourced from the esteemed Braemore vineyard, this Semillonfrom Hunter legend Andrew Thomas showcases the freshness, vibrancy, and longevity that define the region’s finest white wines.

The 54-year-old Braemore vineyard, situated on Hermitage Road, Pokolbin, consistently delivers world-class fruit. Despite a wet growing season, the cooler conditions led to a later harvest, ensuring the grapes reached full ripeness. Handpicked and whole-bunch pressed, the fruit underwent fermentation with a neutral yeast to enhance varietal purity. A brief rest on yeast lees added depth to the final wine.

The nose bursts with tropical notes and lime zest, while the palate is vibrant with citrus and succulent fruit purity. A razor-sharp acidity provides impeccable balance, making it delightful to enjoy now or to cellar for 5-15+ years.

The 2023 Braemore Semillon is a stellar example of why this vineyard and winemaker are legendary in the Hunter Valley.  Outstanding value for one of the region's best!

96 points
"Braemore is a distinctive vineyard, and this is a distinctive wine. For a semillon, this is uncharacteristically fruity, with feijoa and passionfruit notes wrapped around a Tahitian lime core. The fullness of the palate is captivating, as is the intensity of the flavour. A joyous wine with great character and appeal."
- Toni Paterson MW (Halliday Wine Companion)

Winemaker's Comments
Hunter Valley Semillon is one of the world's most uniquely regional wine styles. The 54-year-old Braemore vineyard (planted 1969) is situated on the sandy alluvial flats of Hermitage Road, Pokolbin, and consistently produces Semillon featuring freshness, vibrancy, and remarkable longevity. This wine has achieved an enviable reputation over the years as being one of the finest examples of classic Hunter Valley Semillon.

The Hunter Valley experienced another relatively cool and wet growing season throughout the 2022 growing season with mother nature delivering another 1350mm of rain over the vineyard during the 2022 calendar year which is just under double the 760mm long-term average. Fortunately, the predictions of the La Nina conditions easing and neutralising towards the end of 2022 were in fact correct, and the rain virtually disappeared for the critical ripening months in early 2023.

The cooler conditions throughout the growing season led to one of the latest vintages for many many years in the Hunter. The various blocks across the Braemore vineyard were picked between the 11th and 20th of February (about two weeks later than normal). Some patience was required to make sure the fruit reached its full phenological ripeness and balanced acidity. The hand-picked fruit is run across our state-of-the-art vibrating sorting table to ensure that only the absolute highest quality bunches get through to the press. The grapes are then whole-bunch pressed to minimise phenolics, and fermented with our specially selected neutral yeast to enhance the varietal purity. At the completion of the fermentation, the wine spent five weeks resting on its yeast lees prior to preparing for bottling.

Stylistically, the 2023 Braemore is classically shaped with impeccable purity and precision. The internal concentration and intensity/energy are always a hallmark of this pedigree vineyard, resulting in a wine that will provide great current drinking as well as being an absolute belter for the cellar.

The 2023 vintage is the 24th consecutive bottling of Braemore Semillon under the Thomas Wines label.

Tasting Notes

Sourced from one of the Hunter Valley’s most celebrated Semillon vineyards, this wine displays a pale lemon colour with an iridescent green hue. The nose is greeted with an attractive 'tropical' lift and lime zest fruit characters which follow through to the palate with a succulent, vibrant fruit purity. The mouth-watering acidity provides impeccable balance and precision ensuring the wine can be enjoyed as a youngster, or cellared for 5 – 15+ years.

96 points - "Braemore is a distinctive vineyard, and this is a distinctive wine. For a semillon, this is uncharacteristically fruity, with feijoa and passionfruit notes wrapped around a Tahitian lime core. The fullness of the palate is captivating, as is the intensity of the flavour. A joyous wine with great character and appeal." - Toni Paterson MW (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points - "Very fragrant nose: citrus blossoms and fruits, fresh herbs, gently yeasty; the palate shows a wonderful combination of concentration and refinement. It has more richness and generosity than other 2023 semillons without sacrificing delicacy. Long finish. Seriously promising young semillon." - Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

94+ points - "Herbal lemon tea, a hint of wax, underripe melon skin, fresh chamomile, satin cool and lacy texture. There’s something minty underneath and it carries that little tightly packed flavour package that no doubt will develop into something even more beautiful in future but what a refreshing and layered drink it is in its youth." - Kasia Sobiesiak

Customer Reviews

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 1 review
Total 5 star reviews: 1 Total 4 star reviews: 0 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
1 review
  • CY
    Cheryl Y.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Beginner
    2 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Beginner
    2022 Thomas Braemore Semillon
    Reviewing
    2022 Thomas Braemore Semillon
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    A great Hunter Valley wine

    We buy this every season and are very pleased it is back after the fires in 2020. Very reliable wine.

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Thomas Wines

Andrew Thomas is a modern-day legend in the Hunter Valley, crafting some of the region's greatest wines for over three decades. His personal label is regarded as a benchmark winery, with a focus on premium Shiraz and Semillon— the Hunter Valley's hero varieties. Thomas has access to some of the region’s best vineyards, allowing him to create wines that truly capture the essence of the Hunter.

Originally from McLaren Vale, Thommo moved to the Hunter Valley to join the winemaking team at Tyrrell's Wines. After 13 years, he ventured out to develop his own label, making single-vineyard wines that highlight the subtle differences between Hunter’s subregions.

Thomas Wines is known for its classic Hunter Valley Shiraz and Semillon, but it also occasionally explores innovative styles without compromising on value. The white wines are delicate and cellar-worthy, while the reds are full-bodied and classic in the best sense of the word, making them one of the benchmarks for modern Hunter Shiraz.

A mentor to much of the next generation of Hunter producers, if you want to try the essence of the Hunter Valley, Thommo's wines are a must-try.

The Thomas Wines Braemore Vineyard Hunter Valley, NSW Thomas Wines

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