Past Vintages

Technical Details

"Polished pristine McLaren Vale fruit and present from front-to-back. Dark cherry, soaked plums and lifted floral violet tones craft a seductive but powerful fruit overlay. Slightly darker fruits prevail on the palate with measures oak, supple tannins and fine acidity balancing the finish. 94 pts."

winegenius.com February 18th 2016

"Deep, dark red/purple hue and a rich, ripe, warm-grown shiraz bouquet laced with toasty oak, while the palate is full-bodied but not a blockbuster. It's rich and generous, ripe and smooth, with ample savoury tannins and good length. A big, generous, hearty mouthful of traditional shiraz. It will have legions of admirers. Tasted 12/11/2015 Drink 2015 to 2031. 91 pts."

Reprinted with permission from huonhooke.com, December 2015

"There will be a legion of fans seeking out this wine for its grunty feel, deep flavour, graphite-like oak presence and dense wall of fruit. it's well done though, everything more or less in check and a big, bombastic red wine comes about without swamping a drinker in oak or alcohol. 92 pts."

Mike Bennie, Wine Business Magazine, November / December 2015

"Plenty of big ripe purple fruits, plums and berries and loads of plush, soft tannins that carry sweet ripe fruit flavor long and fresh. Nice upbeat, flavorsome and simple style. Drink now. 90 pts."

Nick Stock for James Suckling, February 2016

"Beautiful mulberry and  black plum nose, a smooth serpent like glide across the palate which is underscored with points of flavour all on the rich side it comes together at the end and the aftertaste is very rewarding 93 with one more to come over the next year I think, and value at $24."

Tony Keys, Key Report 22nd October 2015

"Small batch open-fermented, 14 months maturation in American and French oak. Deep purple-crimson; a totally convincing step up the quality ladder from Davey Brothers, with greater depth to its bouquet and medium - full bodied palate alike, the theme of black fruits, dark chocolate and balanced tannins providing seriously good wine at the price. 94 pts."

Reprinted with permission from the 2016 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion

"Medium to deep garnet/purple, the 2013 Davey Estate Reserve Shiraz has baked
blackberry, creme de cassis and dried mulberries with Indian spices and licorice
nuances. Medium to full-bodied, the soft palate has good concentration and good
length. 89 pts."

Lisa Perotti-Brown, the Wine Advocate #220

Winemaking:

Only select parcels of Shiraz (predominantly clones 1654, BVRC12 and BVRC30), grown on both red & black soils over limestone on the Davey Estate vineyard, are selected for this reserve wine. The wine is hand-crafted in small open & static fermenters to maximise the potential of each small parcel of fruit. Maturation for an average of 15 months in 1 - 5 year old fine-grained American and French oak hogsheads softens, enhances & integrates the fruit & structural components of the wine.

Tasting Note:

Deep garnet. Brooding blackberry, dark cherry and plum aromas are shot through with espresso chocolate notes. A compote of dark berries is encased within the chewy, robust tannin structure. A full-bodied wine with a long, lingering finish and the presence of character to accompany hearty, richly flavoured dishes.

Awards:

• Gold Medal— 2014 McLaren Vale Wine Show, class 9
• Gold medal - 2015 Mundus Vini International Wine Awards, Germany
• Gold medal - 2015 Syrah du Monde, France
• Gold medal - 2015 Spiegelau International Wine Competition, NZ
• Gold medal - 2015 China Wine & Spirits awards, Hong Kong
• Gold medal - 2015 Berlin Wine Trophy, Germany
• Silver Medal - 2015 Sydney Royal Wine Show, class 56
• Silver medal - 2015 Selections Mondiales des Vins, Canada
• Silver medal - 2015 International Wine & Spirit Competition, UK
• Silver medal - 2015 International Wine Challenge, Vienna
• Silver medal - 2015 Decanter Asia Wine Awards, Hong Kong
• Silver medal - 2015 NZ International Wine Show, class 18a
• Silver medal - 2015 Perth Royal Wine Show, class 39
• 94 pts - 2016 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion