TASTING NOTE:
Deep red. Cassis, violet and blueberry aromas seduce, enhanced by attractive notes of cedar, bay leaf and wet slate. An explosion of bright and pretty berry fruit flavours flow over the palate, guided by chewy tannins, mineral elements and a balanced acidity. A full-bodied, varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, with the richness of fruit to satisfy now and the structure that will reward the patient with the complexity that careful cellaring brings.
VINTAGE NOTE:
With an early budburst and flowering, as well as low bunch numbers and small bunches, 2012 was always going to be an early vintage.
The summer was warm, with strong gully winds that tested some of the more exposed vineyards. In many cases, crops were less than half the average but the intensity of colour, flavour and deliciously chewy tannins was amplified, heralding a great vintage.
We picked our first white, Semillon, on February 8th and were well into Shiraz by late February. Sugar levels climbed quickly and in a very timely fashion nature delivered 60mm of rain on the last day of the month. Luckily, canopies dried quickly and there was no splitting. This resulted in the slowing down of the vintage and allowed us to achieve an ideal balance in the vineyard and to lavish the attention the exceptional fruit deserved in the winery. We finished harvest on March 20th with the exception of the last of the Cabernet and some Shiraz left out for fortified production.
2012 was an exceptional vintage for The Davey Estate and across McLaren Vale.
WINEMAKING:
Only select parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon, grown on both red and black soils over limestone on the Davey Estate vineyard, qualify for this reserve wine. Partial cold soaking prior to fermentation maximises the fragrance of the finished wine. Extended fermentation time on skins helps to capture the essence of the fruit and gives a silky but firm tannin finish. Maturation for an average of 14 months in fine-grained French (90%) and Central European (10%) oak hogsheads, softens, enhances and integrates the fruit and structural components of the wine.
Alcohol: 14.4%
TA: 7.0 g/L
pH: 3.59
Deep garnet-purple in color and intensely scented of blackcurrant cordial, warm plums and eucalyptus with hints of cedar, toast and cloves, the medium to full-bodied 2012 The Davey Estate Cabernet Sauvignon gives loads of clove-laced, cassis flavor wrapped around a solid frame of medium level grainy tannins and balanced acidity. It finishes with good persistence. Drink it now to 2018+. - Robert Parker 90 Points
