THIS month's 2024 Halliday Wine Companion Awards have won the Davis family wine group the title of Australia's best semillon producer.
The $130-a-bottle Pepper Tree 2013 Limited Release Tallawanta Semillon emerged triumphant in the "wine-enthusiast's bible" judging panel reviews of 8500 wines from all the nation's wine regions.
There's a background of twists and turns to the 2013 Tallawanta win: Pepper Tree lost access to the 100-year-old Broke Road, Pokolbin, vineyard's prized nine-hectares of shiraz and semillon grapes after 2014 when Brokenwood took over the lease from the Roche family owners.
The vineyard, situated behind Harrigan's hotel, was first planted in 1920 by the pioneer Wilkinson family and then became one of the jewels in the crown of the Elliott family wine company operation based at the Oakvale winery.
It was acquired in 1997 by Bill and Imelda Roche as part of a transaction that saw them buy the former Hungerford Hill Wine Village, now the site of the Hunter Valley Gardens Resort.
The champion semillon was made by acclaimed wine master Jim Chatto when he was Pepper Tree's chief winemaker from 2007 to 2014.
And paradoxically Jim last March returned to the brand as consultant winemaker working alongside ace young winemaker Nick Kruger using grapes from Davis Group vineyards in the Orange, Wrattonbully, Coonawarra and John Davis's Hunter home vineyard of Tallavera Grove at Mount View.
John Davis commented that the 2013 Tallawanta semillon's Wine Companion award was a recognition of more than 30 years of work to become "a beacon of quality in the heart of Hunter wine country".
"This is a wine close to perfection," he said. "It is a combination of vintage, vineyard, and winegrowing, and continues to excite us as it matures and develops."
John Davis, 76, had an initial career as a Sydney University geology doctorate, a world-wide oil exploration career and chairmanship of a successful Australian mining and oil business before becoming a 41-year veteran of Hunter wine and owner and managing director of the Davis Wine Group, maker of the Pepper Tree, Briar Ridge, Tallavera Grove and Carillion wine brands.
Last June he was crowned a Hunter Valley Living Legend of Wine and a second generation of Davises are taking roles in the multi-regional family business, with daughter Jaclyn being owner and general manager of Briar Ridge at Mount View and John's former Reserve Bank executive son Tim as Carillion owner and head vigneron at Orange.
WINE REVIEWS by John Lewis
TALLAWANTA SEM EXCELS
PRICE: $130
FOOD MATCH: crab souffle
AGEING: 12 years
RATING: 6 STARS
THIS exquisitely aged Wine Companion semillon champion Pepper Tree 2013 Limited Release Tallawanta Semillon shines green-tinted light gold in the glass and beguiles with scents of passionfruit and fresh-baked croissant. The front palate has beautiful, elegant grapefruit flavour, the middle palate lime, lemon curd, mineral and honey and toast elements and steely acid refreshes at the finish.
ZINGY MIX OF WRATTONBULLY
PRICE: $40
FOOD MATCH: osso bucco
AGEING: eight years
RATING: 5 STARS
A VIBRANT cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec and petit verdot blend, the Pepper Tree 2020 Limited Release BDX-4 is from the Davis South Australian Wrattonbully vineyard between Padthaway and Coonawarra. It has bright purple hues, berry pastille aromas and zingy blackcurrant front palate flavour. The middle palate features mulberry, plum, spice and savoury oak and a finish of dusty tannins.
LOVELY VENUS CHARDONNAY
PRICE: $55
FOOD MATCH: coq au vin blanc
AGEING: seven years
RATING: 5 STARS
FROM Orange vines at 800 metres above sea level, this Pepper Tree 2021 Venus Block Chardonnay is brassy tinted straw and features honeysuckle perfumes and expressive yellow nectarine front-palate flavour. The middle palate has fig, loquat, marzipan and cashew oak and slatey acid plays at the finish. Get it and today's other wines at the Halls Rd, Pokolbin, cellar and peppertreewines.com.au.
