Located in the heart of Hunter Semillon’s dress circle, on the free-draining sandy flats of Pokolbin, Braemore is something of consecrated ground for fans of the variety and region. Having worked with Braemore fruit from his very first vintage (and every year since), when the opportunity to purchase the vineyard arose in 2017, Thomas jumped at the chance. And while today the vineyard contributes to several Thomas’ blends, it is the two wonderful single-vineyard wines—the Braemore Semillon and Cellar Reserve Semillon (released at six years old)—that shine the brightest.
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 explains.
The 2025 Braemore Semillon returns to a more classically shaped style after the riper '24, displaying all the purity, precision, and promise hallmarks of this pedigree vineyard. Crafted from only the harvest’s finest bunches and whole bunch pressed to minimise phenolics, it’s a model of Braemore’s tendency for fruit intensity and tightly wound energy: a wine that could match Thomas’ “unicorn” 2013 vintage. It’s already doling out the drinking pleasure and, in Andrew’s words, promises to be “an absolute belter for the cellar.”