I had the pleasure of tasting this wine most recently in June 2023, when winemaker Andrew Thomas hosted a 20 year vertical of the wine. The 2013 was the standout wine with Thommo reiterating that he reckons it's the best vintage in 20 years. Beautiful aged complexity, yet stiil so fresh. Incredible.
“The 2013 Thomas Wines Braemore Semillon is getting the highest point score I have ever given to a Semillon. The colour of this wine is a pale straw colour. The wine is very crisp on the palate, with an intense citrus and lime flavour. The wine is very precise and linear, leading to a clean finish. This is a step up from the very good previous years. This wine is perfectly balanced and will last for at least 15 years, obviously changing its character to more honeyed flavours over time. I could not think of a better expression of this grape.” 95+ points, Andrew Graham, Australian Wine Review, 27 December 2013.
“I’ll say this on the record… The 2013 vintage Braemore Semillon is THE BEST vintage I have produced in the 21 years of making wine from this iconic vineyard. Awarded 12 Trophies and 21 Gold medals to date,” Andrew Thomas, winemaker. This is a big call and one not made lightly.
“Braemore is considered to be one of the Hunter Valley’s best sites for Semillon,” Daniel Honan, The Newcastle Herald. Not surprisingly the Braemore Semillon is Thommo’s most awarded white wine and while he has been sourcing fruit from the vineyard for years, at the end of 2017 he got the chance to purchase it.
Simply a delight to drink, this is past that stage of shutdown that Hunter semillon can go through after a few years, where they have neither freshness nor fruit. It’s showing plenty of both, as well as some delicious nutty development. It’s still so fresh - amazing! 10.7% alcohol. Screw cap.
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