Thomas Wines

Not many get excited about Hunter Valley wines these days, and some reviewers virtually ignore them altogether. This is not so surprising given many winemakers focus on the tourist trade. However, some wineries are serious producers and they can deliver truly unique wine styles. One such winery is Thomas Wines. Andrew Thomas focuses on Semillon and Shiraz. Not all wines are pure Hunter, some are blends with South Australian grapes.

The other day, I tasted the current line-up. The 2009 'Two of a kind' Semillon Sauvignon Blanc consists of Hunter Valley Semillon and Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc. The wine is fresh and zesty, with lime flavours and aromatic fleshiness. It is quite elegant, really different from NZ Sauvignon Blanc, has good mouthfeel and some length. Excellent lunch wine and value for money (92 points). The 2009 Braemore Semillon is the winery's showcase white wine. It has traditional citrus flavours and is quite delicate and smooth. The wine has excellent texture and some acidity on the finish, which signals good aging ability (94 points).

The parallel entry wine of the red wines is the 2008 'Two of a kind' Shiraz, a blend of Hunter Valley and McLaren Vale fruit. It shows lively and fruity plum flavours and is a little bit broad on the palate (89 points). The big Hunter Shiraz is the 2007 'Kiss' Shiraz. This wine is quite rich and concentrated, with big plum and fruitcake flavours. The texture is a bit syrupy, but the mouthfeel is round. The tannins are bigger than a traditional Hunter Burgundy style (91 points).

Thomas is a winery to watch with particular strength in the white wines, based on this tasting.