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NOTES
Specialising in Semillon and Shiraz, Andrew Thomas is dedicated to producing wines of exceptional quality and individuality. The fruit is sourced from arguably some of the Hunter’s most distinguished vineyards and reputable growers, to make wines which are individual and unique. The wines are lavished with attention in the winery using a modern spin on techniques of an age old tradition. The flagship wines; Braemore Semillon and Kiss Shiraz head an outstanding line up, where each wine is an expression of its own ‘terroir’.
TASTING NOTES
A deep vibrant red, the nose displays a great depth of flavour, with light florals, liquorice, blackberries, liqueuered cherries, earth, milk chocolate and some tar. The palate showed red plums and blackberries, cherries, earth and some ginger, finishing dryly. A mouth filling wine, medium bodied, rich and ripe but not too sweet, probably more of a classic Hunter Shiraz.
REVIEWS
The most concentrated and complex of the ’07 Thomas red wines, but with no hint of overripe or dead fruit; the palate flows effortlessly within a gossamer envelope of spicy, savoury tannin and oak notes. Screwcap.
14.3% alc. Rating 95 James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2010
Heady, slightly meaty aromas of dark plums, berries, fragrant sweet new smoky chocolate oak and cracked pepper precede a smooth, luscious and concentrated plate whose pristine core of fruit knits harmoniously with sweet cedary oak. Framed by fine-grained, silky tannins of surprising strength and structure, it's a Shiraz of tremendous depth and presence, with a lingering savoury and meaty finish. Drink to 2027. 96 Points. Jeremy Oliver, June 2009
You’d almost reckon this was a Barossan beauty, it’s so thick and rich with flavour. It’s smoother than a good one-liner, too. Nutty oak that tastes as sweet as nougat, peppery aromatics and driving blackberry length. You swallow it and the flavours keep crashing around your mouth. Special. 95 Points (Also included in the top 20 Shiraz of the year) Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh, The Big Red Wine Book 2009/2010
Thomas ‘Kiss’ Hunter Valley Shiraz 2007: I think this is the third ‘Kiss’ I have reviewed. The question in my mind is should I give it a caning just to keep Thommo (Andrew Thomas), the winemaker, from getting over-confident? I should, but I can’t; it is as gorgeous as others I have praised to high heaven, so let’s leave it at that. 94 points, with a couple more as it ages, and although pushing it domestically, it is globally well worth its $60 tag. Tony Keys, The Key Report July 2009
From low-cropping old Hunter vines, this is a dense wine with layers of plum, blackberry and coal supported by bitter chocolate and coffee oak. Its black fruits loom behind its prominent oak, suggesting that it needs a long while to integrate and settle. 93 Points. Tyson Stelzer, Wine Business Magazine Wine 100, June 2007
A potent powerful red which is vibrant in every sense of the word. The toasty oak is prominent at the moment, but the fruit is impressively intense. Give it 5 – 10 years in the cellar. Highly Recommended. Lester Jesberg, Winewise, June 2009
According to Andrew Thomas, Kiss Shiraz wines have always been matured in “the best French oak money can buy”, but he has been gradually toning down the percentage of new oak. He believes he has “nailed” the fruit-oak balance in the 2007 and I think he is right. This is a superb wine, displaying the unique qualities of Hunter Shiraz. It glows garnet in the glass and the nose brings forth cassis and bay leaf elements. Profound ripe plum flavour glides onto the front palate and dark chocolate, mulberry and spice fruit characters integrate seamlessly with vanillin oak. Aging 15 years. 5 Stars. John Lewis, The Herald, May 2009
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