Knowing that his flagship Braemore Semillon gained such beauty and complexity with a few years in the bottle, Thomas created the Cellar Release program in 2001. Thommo siphons off a small selection each year, holding it back for six years in a bottle before release. He explains that his Braemore Semillon “is like a spring that slowly unwinds, over the years revealing lovely light toast and hay characters. The best vintages continue that trajectory for fifteen years and more. After six years the wine is hitting the first stage of development, it’s a magical transformation.”
The Braemore Vineyard, planted in 1969, is situated on the sandy alluvial flats of Hermitage Road, Pokolbin. Once an ancient sea floor, the deep, sandy loam soils are free-draining, allowing deep root penetration, which is perfect for Semillon. The vineyard is universally considered to produce some of the finest examples of classic Hunter Valley Semillon and is particularly famed for producing wines of remarkable longevity.
It’s love at first sniff. Savoury to start, it unfolds slowly to reveal its slightly toasty, citrussy, salty, minerally and smoky personality. The palate is wonderfully textured, sculpted by rounded acidity and well-integrated phenolics before slowly tapering to a powerful and poised close. Though at the start of its journey, it’s on the money right now, and it clearly has the legs to go another ten or so years if you can find the patience.