2024 'Like a Version' Braemore Semillon
2024 'Like a Version' Braemore Semillon
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Introducing the fifth vintage installment of Thomas Wines “Like a Version” Braemore Semillon. Each year a guest winemaker works alongside our assistant winemaker and they are given the simple brief to produce a left field “cover version” of our more classically styled Braemore Semillon, using fruit from our 1969 planted vineyard. This label is an exploration into the world of minimal intervention ‘natural’ wines using grapes from one of the Hunter Valley’s most iconic Semillon vineyards.
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Winemaking Overview
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In the Vineyard
After three years of relatively wet La Nina conditions, the rain certainly eased off from January 2023 right through to the 2024 harvest. We do often experience some windy conditions during August and September in the Hunter Valley, and unfortunately this year the timing of those winds coincided with the flowering period and fruit set for the upcoming vintage. This, together with the vines 'resting' after a couple of relatively high yielding vintages led to a 40% crop reduction on the Braemore vineyard in 2024.
The lower crop, and very dry and warm to hot conditions during January, led to one of the earliest and fastest vintages I have experience in my nearly 40 years of making wine in the Hunter Valley. Sugar levels, which provide an indication of the ripeness of the grapes seemed to surge ahead of phenological fruit and flavour ripeness, so it was a matter of 'holding our nerve' and letting the fruit get to a level where the flavour/acid balance were in the zone regardless of sugar/potential alcohol level.
We started picking the Braemore vineyard on Tuesday the 23rd of January, and it was evident that the whole vineyard was ripening very quickly and evenly so it was a mad rush to get all the fruit off the vine as qucikly as possible.We managed to harvest the whole vineyard in just 4 days. -
In the Winery
The 2024 vintage release is the second collaboration between winemakers Daniel Thomas (Thomas Wines) and Reid Bosward (Bosward Wines - Barossa Valley) who together, have produced another intriguing 'cover version' Braemore Semillon. Fruit from our second-last pick of Braemore was whole-bunch pressed straight to tank for overnight settling. With no enzyme addition to aid in settling, some solids remained in suspension when the juice was racked to 7-year-old French oak barriques (225L) for a relatively warm and fast fermentation. The wine remained in oak for the next four months with weekly stirring of the yeast lees.
Tasting this wine alongside our 2024 Braemore Semillon provides an absolutely compelling comparison.
The 2024 "Like a Version" is definitely a riper, more open and textural expression than our classically shaped Braemore.
With the reduced crop levels in 2024, only 85 dozen bottled.12.9% ABV
Tasting Notes
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Appearance & Aroma
This wine is bright medium lemon green colour.
It has an enticing nose of citrusy lime zest, kiwi fruit and nashi pear.
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Palate & Finish
The palate is intense, and bone dry with immediate flavours of granny smith apple, yuzu juice and star fruit with hints of lemon shortbread in the background. There is a savoury texture to the Like a Version with soft yet refreshing acidity and a long finish with a whisper of steel-cut oats from time on lees in barrel.
WHEN TO DRINK
Drink now in it's youth up until to 2026.
The Vineyards
Whilst I have always applied a no compromise, attention to detail approach to my winemaking, I truly believe that 90% of the quality lies in the vineyard. The key to great wine is ‘keeping it simple’ to preserve that potential quality from the vine through to the bottle - Andrew Thomas