Three New Spring Releases - 1st September 2022

With the weather starting to show some signs of spring in the air, I am delighted to announce three new wines all officially due for release on 1st September 2022.

The latest vintage installment of our Cellar Reserve Braemore program, our inaugural Semillon Chardonnay blend, and the 2022 vintage release of our ‘Like a Version’ Braemore Semillon.

2016 Cellar Reserve Braemore Semillon

Having sold out of our 2015 CR Braemore Semillon a few months ago, I am very excited to see the next vintage hit our shelves on the first day of Spring. We do particularly enjoy the opportunity to present both our current vintage release and bottle-aged Braemore Semillon side by side for our guests in Cellar Door.

Having been sitting quietly for just over six years in our climate-controlled cellar (15⁰C), the 2016 Braemore has just started to emerge with those toasty complexities that we know and love, but still displays extraordinary freshness and vibrancy. It’s sitting in a window that provides excellent current drinking, but will continue to evolve with some further cellaring over the next 5-15+ years.

As one of our valued Wine Club members, you get ‘first dibs' on any of our new releases, and with only 495 six packs available, I suspect this vintage will also sell out relatively quickly.

The wine has been well received/reviewed on both the Wine Companion and The Real Review websites, with both reviewers awarding 96 points

“An exquisite wine that suggests the style here was finer boned and less overt of fruit, in the past. Barley water, lemon oil and a strong waft of peat, not dissimilar to great champagne or Laphroaig. Lightweight and skeletal, yet of immense thrust, intensity of extract, drive and length. A bit tangy, to be churlish. Nevertheless, an indomitable wine worthy of much attention”
96 Points
Ned Goodwin MW, James Halliday Wine Companion

“Really youthful in appearance, mid-straw colour, looking smart for six years of age. Lifted, layered and complex aromas of lemon butter, toast, lemon pith, mineral and wet-stone. Still fresh and lively, with lashings of lemon, grapefruit, nuttiness and crunchy, mouth-watering acidity. Just beginning its journey. Impressive stuff.”
96 Points
Aaron Brasher, The Real Review
 

2022 Vat 32 Semillon Chardonnay

Yes, that’s not a misprint.
We’ve made a Semillon/Chardonnay blend for the very first time…..
Some background to explain.

As you would expect with a vineyard that was planted way back in 1969, some gaps and missing vines have appeared over the years in the Braemore vineyard. At some stage during the last 50 years, these gaps were replanted with whatever vines were available at the time, and it’s now apparent that some of these gaps were filled in with Chardonnay cuttings.

We are in the process of marking and removing/replacing these ‘rogue’ vines, but during the 2022 vintage we went through the whole vineyard and hand-picked these marked vines separately and fermented them as a batch in four brand new French oak hogsheads. The wine spent three months in barrel before blending with a classically styled parcel of Semillon we made from the Brycefield vineyard over on the Lovedale side of the Valley.

Initially, the oak was quite punchy/overt in the blend, but with time prior to and post bottling, that oak has folded nicely into the wine and now provides just some beautiful background complexity.

For those of you who have loved and bought Tyrrell’s Vat 63 Chardonnay Semillon over the years, this wine is also for you. It might also give a little insight into my naming of the wine….. 

Only 270 dozen bottled.
This wine is probably a one-off, but then again, maybe not.
I'm not sure yet. Watch this space…….
 

2022 ‘Like a Version’ Braemore Semillon

This is the third installment of our ‘Like a Version’ Braemore Semillon concept, which each year has been made by a guest winemaker with a simple brief to produce a left field/wacky/cover version of our more classically styled Braemore Semillon.

Essentially, it’s an exploration into the world of minimal input ‘natural’ wines using grapes from one of the Hunter Valley’s most iconic Semillon vineyards. Inviting a guest winemaker each year allows me to ‘dip my toes’ in the water, without getting wet (if you get my drift…)

The 2022 vintage is a collaboration between my son Daniel and our good mate Oliver Margan from Margan Family Wines. Trust me here, this wine is bloody good and without doubt the best LAV yet.

Fruit from our last pick was destemmed with the whole berries returned to a fermenter where they sat under inert gas cover for four days. During this time a spontaneous fermentation started with the indigenous yeasts present. The grapes were then pressed and back-blended with 50% bright juice from one of our normal Braemore parcels. The wild yeast carried on and completed the fermentation. Racked twice during the post-fermentation stage and then bottled without any finings.

The resulting wine has a brightness and vibrancy (that was arguably lacking over the last two releases) but is also certainly a more open-framed, textural, and quite compelling expression of Semillon from this pedigree Hunter Valley vineyard.

For those of you who didn’t love the previous vintage releases of ‘Like a Version’ I strongly suggest you revisit here, as tasting this wine alongside our classic Braemore Semillon provides an absolutely fascinating comparison.

Only 160 dozen bottled.

A Distinguished Event

Don’t miss this rare and exciting opportunity to taste twelve outstanding vintages of Thomas Wines’ flagship Braemore Semillon or Kiss Shiraz at these unique winery masterclass and lunch experiences led by  winemaker, Andrew Thomas.

The events include an in depth look at Braemore Semillon or Kiss Shiraz, informal discussions around the wines with Thommo, a sumptuous tasting plate paired with the 12 wines, and an exquisite lunch in the winery afterwards by leading local Chef, Andy Wright. Places extremely limited, book early.

The Distinguished Dozen Braemore Semillon - Saturday 5 June, 2021
The Distinguished Dozen Kiss Shiraz - Saturday 19 June, 2021

Tickets $195pp  - inclusive of 12 vintages of Braemore Semillon or 12 vintages of Kiss Shiraz, tastting plate, lunch and lunch wines. Bookings here.

Cut Loose with Thommo

2020 a challenging year for everyone, to say the least. Now that things are on the improve we reckon it's time to cut loose, and what better excuse is there than to celebrate the release of another outstanding vintage of Hunter Valley Shiraz.

In true "Thommo style" Andrew Thomas will be showcasing a 'sneak preview' of the full range of his outstanding 2019 Shiraz. He's hitting the road in April for a Thomas Wines Club Member's tour, hosting dinners in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney, and then the official release day lunch in Pokolbin on Saturday 1st May.

Whilst the Pokolbin Lunch and Mode Kitchen + Bar Dinner on 13 April is fully booked, we'd love you to join us in Brisbane, Melbourne or at the newly released Mode Kitchen + Bar Dinner on Monday 12th April.

With some restrictions still in place numbers are limited.

The Dinners and Lunch will include four courses, perfectly paired with the full suite of 2019 Shiraz (with a couple of extra wines thrown in for good measure.....)

The Exceptional 2018 Shiraz Tour

THE EXCEPTIONAL 2018 SHIRAZ RELEASE TOUR DINNER DATES

Tuesday 21st April - Mode Restaurant & Bar- Sydney
Wednesday 22 April - Juliet - Melbourne
Thursday 23rd April - The Flotilla - Newcastle
Wednesday 29 April - Pilu at Freshwater - Sydney
Thursday 30 April - Blackbird Restaurant - Brisbane
Saturday 2nd May - Release Lunch - Yellow Billy Restaurant - Pokolbin

The range of Thomas Wines 2018 Hunter Valley Shiraz will be expertly paired with four courses at each venue and will be hosted by Andrew Thomas.

Numbers at these venues are very limted. We'd recomend gathering your friends & booking as soon as possible, we'd hate you to miss out.

The Kiss & Tell Tour

The annual release of Thomas Wines new vintage reds is always highly anticipated by wine lovers & collectors. Whilst all our 2016 shiraz are looking outstanding, the very limited quantities and cult following of Kiss Shiraz will ensure that it will be the talk of these events.

We will be presenting 10 wines (including some back vintage Kiss) paired to perfection over four courses prepared by talented Chefs and hosted in intimate venues.

You’ll find it difficult to keep this a secret, but it’s okay to Kiss & Tell…..

Seats are limited for full details, dates and to BOOK NOW click here.

THE STARS OF THE TOUR
2016 Two of a Kind Shiraz
2016 Synergy Shiraz

2016 Sweetwater Shiraz
2016 Dam Block Shiraz
2016 Elenay Shiraz

2016 Kiss Shiraz
2006 Kiss Shiraz

2013 Kiss Shiraz (en Magnum)