Description
Thomas Wines is not only one of the Hunter Valley’s most renowned winemakers, but nationally and internationally acclaimed for it’s exceptional, single vineyard Hunter Valley wines. Thomas wines have gained somewhat of a ‘cult status’ for its small range of personality imbued wines, many of which offer both pure current drinking pleasure, as well as remarkable cellaring potential.
The first vintage was produced in 1997, with an absolute focus and determination to specialise in producing top shelf examples of the two signature varieties of the Hunter Valley, semillon and shiraz.
Over the years Thomas Wines have gathered an impressive folio of local growers, who each own and operate arguably some of the Hunter valley’s most distinguished sites, producing world class, uniquely regional styles. Each wine showcases it’s unique vineyard signature and expresses a real sense of place. Kiss shiraz and Braemore semillon sit at the top of an impressive range, many of which have become modern benchmarks for the Hunter Valley.
Having previously spent 13 years learning and applying his craft at Tyrrell’s, owner and winemaker Andrew Thomas now has over two and half decades of winemaking experience in the Hunter Valley. It’s the no compromise, attention to detail approach to his winemaking that has seen him named as 2014 Hunter Valley Winemaker of the Year (having also previously won the award in 2008), as well as contributing to an impressive mantle piece of wine show trophies and medals, and enviable critical acclaim.
From the winemakers: “Our flagship single vineyard Shiraz has become a modern benchmark for the Hunter Valley. This wine clearly demonstrates that Hunter Shiraz can achieve amazing intensity and concentration, all within a medium weight frame.
“In heartbreaking and devastating news, this iconic 57 year old block of Shiraz has fallen victim to developers, with over 90% of the vines being bulldozed to make way for a housing estate. This genuinely world class Shiraz will be the last vintage of Kiss as we know it….”
About this wine: First released in 2001, Thomas Wines’ flagship Shiraz is a single-vineyard wine sourced from the mature Pokolbin Estate Vineyard across the road from Brokenwood’s famed Graveyard Vineyard. The vines date back to 1969 and are planted on Hunter’s classic clay/loam soils, where the low-yielding vines produce fruit with exceptional depth and concentration.
The 2023 vintage saw a return to warmer, drier conditions for the Hunter after a couple of slightly cooler, wetter seasons. Thomas harvested the Kiss fruit by hand on 18th February- -the first Shiraz harvest of the season.
The grapes were given a 24-hour cold soak and then fermented for nine days. The wine then matured for 16 months in French oak hogsheads, 20% of which were new, the balance being one and two-year-old oak. The wine then rested in bottle for 11 months before release. Thomas describes Kiss as the introvert to Sweetwater’s extrovert, meaning, like many other top producers, his flagship wine is not necessarily his biggest or loudest.
96 points, Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front “2023 is a superb release of Thomas Kiss Shiraz. It is, simply, authoritative. It lays down flavour, it lays down structure, it lays down character and it keeps it all going into tomorrow. Toast, cherry-plum, woodsy spice and earth, with nutshell and pockets of spice. It’s firm, bold and elegant at once. This is without doubt an upper echelon wine.”
RRP $102 Our Special Price $59.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.
